Sample Text for NAEP Letter to Congress

November XX, 2007

NAME
US Senate/House of Representatives
Washington, DC, 20510/20515

Dear Senator NAME/Representative NAME:

The National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) sets policy for the administration of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), known as „the Nation‚s report card.‰ NAGB has recently determined that a number of scheduled tests related to NCLB-designated core content areas would be eliminated or scaled back due to inadequate funding to implement the assessments.

NAEP has proven an invaluable tool for evaluating and modifying learning strategies, and social studies teachers are eager to use this instrument for the betterment of the profession and improvement of achievement in social studies. Further, in recent years, a number of studies have concluded that the implicit focus on reading and math resulting from the enactment of the No Child Left Behind Act has adversely affected instructional time spent on social studies and its underlying content areas. The planned changes in scheduled NAEP assessments for these NCLB-designated core social studies content areas could exacerbate this problem.

The National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) membership and Board of Directors request that funding for NAEP assessments is sufficient to assure that those related to NCLB-designated core social studies content areas are administered according to the original schedule.

As you and your colleagues consider important decisions about funding education initiatives, please know that without the data provided by the NAEP, social studies educators will continue to be disadvantaged in the struggle for adequate instructional time, resources and attention from administrators and parents at the school, district and state levels.

If you or your staff has any questions, please do not hesitate to contact NCSS Executive Director Susan Griffin at sgriffin@ncss.org or 301.588.1800. Thank you for your consideration of this matter.

Sincerely,