May 13-14 WASHINGTON, D.C.?The second National Symposium on Equity and Educational Testing and Assessment is being held May 13 and 14 here at the ANA Hotel, 2401 M Street, N.W. Sponsored by the University of Michigan School of Education, with support from the Ford Foundation, the symposium will focus on measuring the performance and achievement of economically disadvantaged students, ethnic minority and women students.

The organizer of the symposium is U-M education Prof. Michael T. Nettles, recently appointed the first director of the United Negro College Fund’s Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute, the first major center devoted to Black educational data analyses and policy research. According to Nettles, some of the issues that will be addressed in the symposium include: (1) the impact of new standards of testing and assessment upon the achievement of economically disadvantaged, ethnic minority and women students; progress toward equity and challenges of the testing and assessment industry; and (4) challenges to communicating testing and assessment results to a variety of audiences, including parents and the media.

Approximately 120 invited participants will attend, including Pascal Forgione, U.S. Commissioner of Education; Sharon Robinson, Assistant Secretary of Education; William Randall, Colorado Commissioner of Education; Lani Guinier of University of Pennsylvania Law School; Albert Shanker, President of the American Federation of Teachers; William H. Gray, III, President of the United Negro College Fund; Elaine Jones, President of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund; Antonia Hernandez, President of the Mexican-American Defense Fund; Donald Stewart, President of the College Board; and Richard Ferguson, President of American College Testing Company. Among the symposium presentations:

? “A Report Card on the Academic Performance of Gender and Ethnic Groups,” by Nancy Cole, president of Educational Testing Service.

? “The Work Sampling System: An Innovation in Testing and Assessment,” by Samuel Meisels, professor of education at the U-M.

Other U-M participants include: Cecil Miskel, dean of the U- M School of Education; Valerie Lee, associate professor of education; Arie Nettles, assistant professor of education; and Pamela Moss, associate professor of education.

U-M News and Information ServicesUniversity of Michigan