Superintendent Dr. Benny L. Gooden testified before the U.S. House Education and Workforce Committee in a special hearing entitled “Education Reforms: Ensuring the Education System is Accountable to Parents and Communities.”

The hearing, held on September 21, was hosted by the House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education, chaired by Rep. Duncan Hunter. The purpose of the hearing was to review the importance of public school accountability, examine successful state and local approaches to accountability continue the discussion on the appropriate federal role in the process.

In his remarks, Gooden spoke about testing standards and the challenges faced by schools in meeting such criteria. He stressed that using one single test to measure a school’s performance was often misleading and that multiple assessment to determine progress should be considered.

Gooden also highlighted the success of Morrison and Trusty Elementary Schools in making AYP this year. He noted that Morrison, which had previously been on school improvement, had achieved AYP for two years and was therefore moved off of the school improvement list.

Click to view the hearing or to read the Gooden's written testimony.