These days people hear a great deal about testing, for our nation s president has placed it high on the education agenda. One of his proposals is to monitor student achievement through standardized tests that would be administered every year in grades three through eight. ETS fully supports and, along with our subsidiaries, is working with state and federal officials to implement that portion of the agenda for we understand, perhaps better than most, the significant value of properly used assessments. We know that, in all our schools, assessments should not just monitor student achievement but should also advance learning. Tests that help educators, parents, and students themselves better identify students strengths and areas needing improvement truly represent assessment in the service of learning.
Fair assessments can also bolster accountability and, therefore, influence education reform.
This is especially important right now, as results from a far-reaching national public opinion poll commissioned by ETS this past spring show that an overwhelming majority of Americans are, in fact, demanding greater accountability from our public education system. Of course, testing is merely one component of an education system. But when used properly, assessment can be the linchpin of an education reform strategy that spurs learning while monitoring results. For a complete picture of what ETS is striving to produce and accomplish, as well as of what principles guide us in our work, I urge you to view our revitalized Mission , Vision, and Values statements. They tell the world what to expect of ETS, and what we at ETS expect of ourselves.