[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 242 (Friday, December 15, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78477-78478]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-31999]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
The Use of Tests as Part of High-Stakes Decision-Making for
Students: A Resource Guide for Educators and Policymakers
AGENCY: Office for Civil Rights, Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice of availability of final document.
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SUMMARY: The Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights announces the
availability of a final document entitled ``The Use of Tests as Part of
High-Stakes Decision-Making for Students: A Resource Guide for
Educators and Policymakers.'' The resource guide is designed to provide
educators and policymakers with an informative and practical tool that
will assist in their development and implementation of policies that
involve the use of tests in making high-stakes decisions for students.
The guide provides information about relevant Federal non-
discrimination standards and professionally recognized test measurement
principles, as well as a collection of resources related to the non-
discrimination and test measurement principles discussed in the guide.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Address requests for copies of the
final document to Jeanette J. Lim, U.S. Department of Education, 400
Maryland Avenue, SW., room 5212 Switzer Building, Washington, DC 20202-
1100. Telephone: 1-800-421-3481. For all requests submitted by letter,
you must include the term ``Testing Guide.'' If you use a
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may call the TDD
number at 1-877-521-2172. The final document is also available through
the
[[Page 78478]]
Internet at the following site: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OCR/testing
If you prefer to send your request through the Internet, use the
following address: [email protected]
You must include the term ``Testing Guide'' in the subject line of
your electronic message.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audio-tape, or computer
diskette) by contacting the Office for Civil Rights' Customer Service
Team at 1-800-421-3481.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On July 6, 2000, we published a notice of
availability of and a request for comments on the draft document
entitled ``The Use of Tests When Making High-Stakes Decisions for
Students: A Resource Guide for Educators and Policymakers'' in the
Federal Register (65 FR 41643). The purpose of the resource guide is to
provide educators and policymakers with information about Federal non-
discrimination standards and test measurement principles concerning the
proper use of tests as part of decision-making that has high-stakes
consequences for students.
Earlier versions of the draft resource guide have been reviewed by
the National Academy of Science's Board on Testing and Assessment
(BOTA), the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division, and
dozens of groups and individuals, including educators, parents,
teachers, business leaders, policymakers, test publishers, civil rights
groups, individual Members of Congress, and others. BOTA conducted a
public hearing on the resource guide on January 26, 2000.
In response to our invitation in the previous Federal Register
notice of availability, 40 parties submitted comments on the draft
document. We have considered these comments in drafting the final
guide.
Electronic Access to This Document
You may view this document, as well as all other Department of
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe
Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at either of the
following sites:
http://ocfo.ed.gov/fedreg.htm
http://www.ed.gov/news.html
To use the PDF, you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available
free at either of the previous sites. If you have questions about using
the PDF, call the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at
1-888-293-6498; or in the Washington, DC area at (202) 512-1530.
Note: The official version of this notice is the document
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal
Regulations is available on GPO Access at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html.
Dated: December 12, 2000.
Norma V. Cantu,
Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights.
[FR Doc. 00-31999 Filed 12-14-00; 8:45 am]
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