GAO says federal preschoolers test not reliable measure of skills
The Government Accountability Office’s review, released Tuesday, found a series of flaws with the National Reporting System test and with the way it is run by the Head Start Bureau.
The test is intended to show how well the federal preschool program is helping poor children gain an understanding of spoken English, vocabulary and simple math.
Launched in response to a directive by President Bush, the test was first given in the fall of 2003 to more than 400,000 4-and-5-year-old children. It uses pictures, letters and numbers — for example, children are asked to count marbles pictured on a page.
Yet the Head Start Bureau has not shown the test is “valid and reliable” over time, in part because leaders had to form the exam quickly and never did a pilot test, the GAO said.
The report says the bureau has not made clear what progress is expected, how test scores are used or how Head Start centers are held accountable for results, yielding confusion.
The review outlined other problems, too:
—Federal Head Start officials lack independent data to verify that all eligible children are being tested, which could cause the unfair exclusion of kids or data errors.
—Some Head Start centers could be narrowing their curriculum to focus on the test, excluding measures related to physical health and social and emotional development.
—Federal leaders have not indicated whether the Head Start Bureau would adjust scores to account for age or other differences among children.
The bureau, which is part of the Health and Human Services Department, has said it will not make decisions on Head Start centers based solely on the test data, but rather will combine the scores with a series of other measures. The agency also may opt to test a sample of children, not every one, to simplify the process.
Still, GAO investigators have recommended several changes, including additional study of the “unintended effects” of the test and new ways for improving it.
Wade Horn, assistant secretary for children and families at HHS, said the suggestions mirror many of his agency’s public statements about the need to improve the test.
He said changes are under way. Horn, however, defended the bureau’s efforts to ensure the test is valid, and said other such analyses are taking place.
Sen. Edward Kennedy, the Massachusetts Democrat who requested the study, said any test required in Head Start must be accurate and reliable for children of all backgrounds.
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On the Net:
GAO Head Start study: http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-05-343