If new testing requirements are imposed, significant new funds must be provided. National PTA supports nationally agreed-upon voluntary education standards if they are derived by consensus at the state and local levels. The federal government should assist state and local levels through researching better assessment models, collecting data, and reporting information based on a set of indicators. Parents must be involved in this process. Furthermore, National PTA believes that valid assessment does not consist of only a single test score, and that at no time should a single test be considered the sole determinant of a student's academic or work future, for example, high school graduation, scholarship aid, honors programs, or college admissions.
Tests are only one facet of a sound assessment program.
GAO's preliminary findings show that, despite increases in funding for Title I, little additional funding is targeted towards high poverty areas. In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Education, Title I funds are more targeted to the highest poverty districts than are state, local, and federal education funds overall. Unfortunately, Title I funds are limited, and yet are allocated to almost every school district in the country, and as a result, are spread very thinly. Further, provisions in the law, which were enacted in 1994 to increase the targeting of the program, have not been funded. National PTA believes the Congress should significantly increase the funding of Title I. Current levels only allow about 20 percent of the eligible children to receive Title I services.