CTB/McGraw-Hill Panel to Provide Thought Leadership to Assessment Industry on Key Issues
Educators Address Accountability, Data-Driven Instruction, Special Student Populations and the Use of Technology
PRNewswire-FirstCall
MONTEREY, Calif.
Dec 20, 2004
CTB/McGraw-Hill, the nation's preeminent provider of K-12 and adult education assessment solutions, has brought together key national, state and district education decision-makers from around the U.S. to address major issues, ranging from accountability to data-driven instruction. CTB's Education Leadership Panel will not only provide ongoing counsel to the company, but will identify solutions and resources that benefit educational institutions and the assessment industry nationwide.
The provisions of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law, requiring a greater emphasis on accountability, were a major impetus for the creation of the panel.
The leadership panel represents an innovative initiative for the assessment industry in light of NCLB. "While CTB and other assessment providers regularly gather and analyze feedback from customers to improve their products and services, the leadership panel concept goes well beyond market research and intelligence," said David Taggart, president, CTB/McGraw-Hill. "The group's first meeting gave us a tremendous opportunity to learn from a dynamic cross-section of experts who create effective educational solutions on a daily basis. Based on our initial discussions, I am confident that the panel will develop recommendations that support the assessment industry, the educational community and student achievement overall."
The panel will examine state and local issues surrounding assessment and the ramifications for administrators, teachers, parents and students. It will regularly focus on topics ranging from NCLB-mandated accountability, instruction driven by assessment data, special student populations (e.g., English-language learners) and the use of technology in assessments and reporting. The next meeting of the group will be held in April 2005.
The panelists were selected based on their accomplishments and their diverse roles within the educational community. Members include:
* Dr. Jamal Abedi, English Language Learning specialist with the National
Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing;
* Dr. James Cibulka, dean of Education, University of Kentucky;
* Karen Cliffe, math teacher and curriculum specialist, Bonita Vista High
School, Chula Vista, Calif.;
* Todd Davis, principal, Stephens Elementary School, Houston, Texas;
* Dr. Patricia Harvey, superintendent, St. Paul Public Schools, St. Paul,
Minn.;
* Alicia Hulla, student body vice president, Eagle Point High School,
Eagle Point, Ore.;
* Shirley Igo, immediate past president, national PTA;
* Sharon Lewis, research director, Council of the Great City Schools,
Washington, D.C.
* Jo O'Brien, assistant commissioner for Learning and Results, Colorado
Department of Education
* Dr. Edward Roeber, senior executive director, Office of Educational
Assessment and Accountability, Michigan Department of Education
* Dr. Edward Lee Vargas, superintendent, Hacienda La Puenta Unified
School District, City of Industry, Calif.
Dr. Patricia Newby, former deputy superintendent for Baltimore City Schools and a former superintendent of schools for Grand Rapids, Mich., will moderate the panel's discussions. Dr. Newby's career spans more than 43 years in the areas of special education, curriculum development, teaching, and administration.
In K-12 education, CTB/McGraw-Hill serves more than 15 million students annually in 8,500 school districts in all 50 states, including the District of Columbia and the worldwide U.S. Department of Defense system. In adult education, CTB/McGraw-Hill currently provides test results for more than 4 million adult students nationally and provides the education assessment for the nation's largest correctional systems.
About CTB/McGraw-Hill
As the nation's leading publisher of standardized achievement tests for pre-school, elementary, middle, high school, and adult education, CTB/McGraw-Hill LLC offers a broad range of assessments, software and services. CTB/McGraw-Hill LLC is part of McGraw-Hill Education's Assessment and Reporting group, and is owned by The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP), a global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor's and BusinessWeek. Founded in 1888, the Corporation has more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2003 were $4.8 billion. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/ and http://www.ctb.com/.
SOURCE: CTB/McGraw-Hill
CONTACT: Media Inquiries:
Kelley Carpenter
CTB/McGraw-Hill
+1-831-393-7196
kelley_carpenter@ctb.com