To condition the implementation of assessment procedures in connection with the Head Start National Reporting System on Child Outcomes, and for other purposes.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Head Start Assessment Act of 2003''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) When used appropriately, valid and reliable assessments 
        can be of positive value for improving instruction and 
        supporting development of young children.
            (2) According to the National Academy of Sciences report, 
        Eager to Learn: Educating Our Preschoolers, assessment of 
        children below school age is in ``flux'' and ``all assessments, 
        and particularly assessments for accountability, must be used 
        carefully and appropriately if they are to resolve, and not 
        create, educational problems.''
            (3) The Eager to Learn report emphasized that the intended 
        purpose and use of the data to be derived from assessments 
        should be considered in determining which assessment 
        instruments and procedures are most appropriate.
            (4) The National Academy of Sciences reports that few early 
        childhood educators and administrators are well-trained in the 
        selection and appropriate use of assessments for young 
        children.
            (5) According to the National Academy of Sciences report, 
        From Neurons to Neighborhoods, the emotional and social 
        development of young children is as critical to school 
        readiness as language and cognitive development.
            (6) The Head Start Act currently requires programs to 
        assess children in Head Start a minimum of three times a year 
        against certain performance standards, which include all 
        domains of the development and learning of children.
            (7) The proposed Head Start National Reporting System on 
        Child Outcomes assessment is not reflective of the full range 
        of skills and competencies that the National Academy of 
        Sciences reports state children require to succeed, and it has 
        not been thoroughly debated by those groups associated with 
        Head Start, including early childhood development and 
        assessment experts, early childhood educators and 
        administrators, family members of children participating in 
        Head Start, or Congress.

SEC. 3. DELAYED IMPLEMENTATION OF ASSESSMENT PROCEDURES IN CONNECTION 
              WITH THE HEAD START NATIONAL REPORTING SYSTEM ON CHILD 
              OUTCOMES.

    (a) Satisfaction of Conditions.--The Secretary of Health and Human 
Services shall not proceed with the full-scale implementation of the 
Head Start National Reporting System on Child Outcomes, as described in 
the project proposal (68 Fed. Reg. 17815; relating to Implementation of 
the Head Start National Reporting System on Child Outcomes), until the 
Secretary certifies to Congress that the following conditions have been 
satisfied:
            (1) Oversight hearings.--Congressional oversight hearings 
        have been concluded concerning the development and 
        implementation of the Head Start National Reporting System on 
        Child Outcomes.
            (2) Public forums.--The Secretary has concluded, consistent 
        with the requirements of subsection (b), public forums in 
        different regions of the United States, and provided an 
        opportunity for written public comments, concerning early 
        childhood assessment proposals.
            (3) Study on early childhood assessments.--The Secretary 
        has submitted, consistent with subsection (c), to Congress a 
        study of early childhood assessments focusing on improving 
        accountability, instruction, and the delivery of services. The 
        Secretary shall request the National Academy of Sciences to 
        prepare the study using a panel of nationally recognized 
        experts in early childhood assessment, child development, and 
        education.
            (4) Availability of funds.--Without reducing the number of 
        students served by Head Start, sufficient funds are available 
        to--
                    (A) develop and implement any new Head Start 
                assessments; and
                    (B) deliver necessary additional technical 
                assistance and professional development required to 
                successfully implement the new assessments.
    (b) Public Forum Participation.--To satisfy the condition specified 
in subsection (a)(2), the Secretary shall ensure that participation in 
the required forums includes--
            (1) early childhood development and assessment experts;
            (2) early childhood educators and administrators; and
            (3) family members of children participating in Head Start.
    (c) Information Required by Study on Early Childhood Assessments.--
To satisfy the condition specified in subsection (a)(3), the Secretary 
shall ensure that the required study contains, at a minimum, specific 
information regarding the following:
            (1) Which skills and competencies are predictive of school 
        readiness and future academic success.
            (2) The development, selection, and use of instruments, 
        determined to be reliable and validated for preschoolers, 
        including preschoolers in the Head Start population, to assess 
        the development in young children of--
                    (A) literacy, language, and mathematical skills;
                    (B) emotional and social skills; and
                    (C) health and physical well-being.
            (3) The development of appropriate benchmarks and the 
        proper use of early childhood assessments to improve Head Start 
        program effectiveness and instruction.
            (4) The resources required for successful implementation of 
        additional assessments within Head Start and how such 
        additional assessments might be coordinated with current 
        processes.
            (5) Whether a new assessment would provide information to 
        improve program accountability or instruction that is not 
        already available from existing assessments and reporting 
        procedures within Head Start.
            (6) The professional development and personnel needs for 
        successful implementation of early childhood assessments.
            (7) The practicality of employing sampling techniques as 
        part of any early childhood assessment.
            (8) The practicality of employing observational and work-
        sampling assessment techniques as part of an early childhood 
        assessment.
            (9) Steps needed to ensure that assessments accommodate the 
        racial, cultural, and linguistic diversity of young children, 
        including young children with disabilities.

Summary: Head Start Assessment Act of 2003 - Prohibits the Secretary of Health and Human Services from proceeding with the full-scale implementation of the Head Start National Reporting System on Child Outcomes, as described in a specified project proposal, until the Secretary certifies to Congress that: (1) congressional oversight hearings have been concluded concerning the development and implementation of the System; (2) the Secretary has concluded public forums in different regions of the United States, and provided an opportunity for written public comments, concerning early childhood assessment proposals; (3) the Secretary has reported to Congress a study by the National Academy of Sciences of early childhood assessments focusing on improving accountability, instruction, and the delivery of services; and (4) sufficient funds are available to develop and implement any new Head Start assessments, and deliver necessary additional technical assistance and professional development required to successfully implement these assessments.

Prescribes requirements for participants in such public forums.