Experts Preach Caution On Use of 'Precious' NAEP

By Lynn Olson

For more than 30 years, the National Assessment of Educational Progress has provided information on what American students know and can do in the core academic subjects. The congressionally mandated project is so widely respected that it's nicknamed the nation's "report card."

Now, a proposal by President Bush could permanently change the nature of the testing program, by using NAEP results to confirm a state's own testing data before determining federal rewards or penalties for states based on student achievement.

Although many assessment and policy experts support Mr. Bush's proposal in concept, they caution that it must be executed carefully to preserve the credibility that has made NAEP so valuable. Others, meanwhile, worry that proposals to expand NAEP could inch the United States closer to a national curriculum...