WASHINGTON – Today, Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) sent a follow-up letter to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona demanding further information and action to reform the contracting process for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). In August 2023, Foxx raised concerns, brought to light in two independent reports, about the need for increased competition, better cost controls, and reform of apparent inefficiencies associated with NAEP’s contracting model. However, no meaningful changes have been made to the current model to date.
In the letter, Foxx writes:“I wrote to you in August of last year and raised several questions about the [NAEP] contracting process… I remain concerned, however, about a contracting process that may stifle competition and discourage innovation.”
The letter continues: “In 2022, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (‘NASEM’) provided recommendations for the Department to improve the future success of the NAEP program. The NASEM report recommended various program management and cost containment reforms… Unfortunately, it appears that no meaningful improvements or changes to the current NAEP structure or process have been made so far.”
Foxx concludes by asking for several documents, including:
The final report and any supplemental materials produced over the course of the independent audit of National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) financials for the period of FY 2017 through FY 2021.
The complete presentation, accompanying materials, a full transcription of the meeting, meeting minutes, and attendees at the independent audit presentation to NAGB in May 2023.
Any and all NAGB meeting minutes and full transcriptions of meetings from 2022 or 2023 where the NASEM report and the Internal Controls Assessment Report were discussed in any way.
The complete presentation, accompanying materials, meeting minutes, and attendees of the NAEP Budget Workshop as given at the NAGB meetings in 2022.
A list of anticipated deliverables and associated deadlines or target dates for the Cost Structure Review from the National Center for Education Statistics.
