March 23rd, 2006
CEOs speak up against dumbed-down tests
A panel considering the impacts of No Child Left Behind is pushing for a national testing standard, motivated by reports that states are dealing with low test scores by making tests easier. Bloomberg News reports that two members of the commission, Intel CEO Craig Barrett and State Farm CEO Edward Rust spoke out against the dumbing down of standardized tests recently.
“Ultimately, the competitiveness of your kids ought to prompt people into action,” Barrett said.
Rust, 55, whose Bloomington, Illinois-based State Farm is the biggest U.S. auto and home insurer, says having different standards among states makes no sense. “The laws of physics apply equally here in Illinois as in New York,” he says.
Barrett and Rust serve on a commission that’s developing recommendations on the future of the No Child Left Behind law. The panel’s Democratic co-chairman, former Georgia Governor Roy Barnes, already has suggested that Congress create incentives for states to move toward national tests.
