Dive Summary:
- A new report out from Matthew M. Chingos and the Brown Center on Education Policy at Brookings delves into the costs of per-student spending on assessment contracts in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.
- According to the data, the District of Columbia out-spends the rest of the country on a per-pupil basis at a cost of $114 per student.
- Here are the top 10 spenders along with their primary contractors for assessments:
- District of Columbia ($114 per student), McGraw Hill
- Hawaii ($105), American Institutes for Research
- Alaska ($79), Data Recognition Corp
- Delaware ($73), American Institutes for Research
- North Dakota ($69), McGraw Hill
- Massachusetts ($64), Measured Progress
- Washington ($69), Data Recognition Corp
- Indiana ($54), McGraw Hill
- Minnesota ($53), Pearson
- South Dakota ($45), Pearson
From the report:
Standardized tests have become ubiquitous in U.S. elementary and secondary education over the last few decades. About ten years ago, states across the country expanded their assessment systems in response to the federal No Child Left Behind Act’s requirement that students take annual math and reading tests in grades 3-8 and once in high school. In the coming years, states will need to make the most significant changes to their assessment systems since the passage of NCLB as they implement the Common Core State Standards, a common framework for what students are expected to know that will replace existing standards in 45 states and the District of Columbia. ...