Head Start Assessment Act of 2003

        [Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2945 Introduced in House (IH)]

108th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2945

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

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

July 25, 2003

Mr. Kennedy of Rhode Island (for himself, Mr. George Miller of
California, Ms. Woolsey, Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas, Mr. McNulty, Mr.
Pomeroy, Ms. Millender-McDonald, Mr. Hinchey, Mrs. Jones of Ohio, Ms.
DeLauro, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Payne, Mr. Hinojosa, Mrs. Davis of
California, Mr. Serrano, Ms. Kilpatrick, Ms. Lee, Mr. Towns, Mr. Ryan
of Ohio, Ms. Majette, Mr. Davis of Florida, Ms. Linda T. Sanchez of
California, Ms. Carson of Indiana, Mr. Stark, Mr. Davis of Illinois,
and Mr. Holt) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

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

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

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.
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