ACT Awarded Contract to Develop National Writing Assessment

November 16, 2005

IOWA CITY, Iowa—ACT Inc. has been awarded a $1.4 million contract by the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) for a major project to develop a new framework and specifications for the National Assessment of Educational Progress' (NAEP) national writing assessment.

Under the 18-month contract, ACT will put together committees comprising classroom teachers, curriculum specialists, test and measurement experts, and others with a wide-range of backgrounds to develop the new framework for the writing assessment. The company will also seek input from college instructors, employers, the military, and recent high school graduates on the writing skills students need to be successful, as well as review academic research and study group recommendations on student writing.

"The input we'll receive during this process is the same type of information that helps us develop academic achievement tests such as the ACT," said Richard L. Ferguson, ACT's chief executive officer. "It's important to assess the writing skills of our nation's students early to ensure that they are learning what they need to put them on course for college and career success."

NAEP, also known as the Nation's Report Card, is the only nationally representative and continuing assessment of academic achievement in America's elementary and secondary schools. NAEP assesses what students know and can do in various subject areas, surveying national samples of students in grades 4, 8, and 12 and state-level samples of students in grades 4 and 8.

The NAGB is an independent, bipartisan group whose 26 members include governors, state legislators, local and state school officials, educators, business representatives, and members of the general public. The NAGB was created by Congress in 1988 to set policy for NAEP.

The ACT-headed project will submit its recommendations to the NAGB, with board action expected in the spring of 2007. The new framework will be introduced in 2011.