AASA and ING Kick Off Four-Part Webcast Series: 'Moving All Students Toward Proficiency: Standing Up for Public Education'

More than 300 education leaders attended an education forum to examine value-added assessment and accountability, coordinated by the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) and sponsored by ING. Held in San Antonio, Texas, at the Riverwalk Westin and simulcast via the Internet, the forum was the first of four such discussions that will take place this year exploring implementation issues related to No Child Left Behind. The focus of the webcasts will be on promising practices to help all students become successful.

Ted Hershberg, professor of public policy and history at the University of Pennsylvania, shared data with participants on how value-added assessment can provide educators with a powerful new diagnostic tool to help them improve instruction and help their schools meet adequate yearly progress goals. An expert in value-added assessment, Hershberg also discussed how this model can serve as the foundation for a new, comprehensive accountability system for school administrators and teachers.

"Value-added assessment helps school decision makers determine how effective teachers and schools are, how to differentiate truly exceptional changes from predictable ones and how to use data at the classroom level to make necessary adjustments in instruction, curricula and professional development to bolster learning gains for every child," Hershberg said.

"As school administrators, teachers and community leaders continue to address the No Child Left Behind legislation that mandates minimum education standards for all students, it's important to share practical solutions among education leaders," said Bill Jasien, Head of Education and Retail Distribution, ING. "ING is proud to sponsor this AASA initiative for a second year in a row to help facilitate discussion among leaders with the goal of achieving universal proficiency for all students."

"School leaders want to create academic achievement measures that help all students succeed but the goal is to develop a system that tracks the educational growth of individual students while gauging whether the school system has added value to the process," said AASA Executive Director Paul Houston. "We appreciate Dr. Hershberg sharing his expertise and data on how value-added assessment can help school administrators meet their adequate yearly progress targets while simultaneously gaining valuable data on the progress of individual students."

Dr. Hershberg's presentation will be available on AASA's website ( www.aasa.org ) by May 5.

The webcast series will continue in August in Atlanta, GA; September in Las Vegas, NV; and in November in McLean, VA. Additionally, in June, AASA's guide Changing Policies to Close the Achievement Gap: A Guide for School System Leaders will be available for superintendents. The guide will include state and local policies regarding NCLB legislation, as well as examples of best practices from various school districts. You can find out more information or purchase the guide at the publisher's website www.scarecroweducation.com .

  For more information about the upcoming forums, visit www.aasa.org .

  ABOUT AASA

AASA, founded in 1865, is the professional organization for more than 14,000 educational leaders across America and in many other countries. AASA's mission is to support and develop effective school system leaders who are dedicated to the highest quality public education for all children.

ABOUT ING

ING is a leading provider of retirement services to school systems and higher educational institutions throughout the country. ING's education- related programs include Unsung Heroes, a grant program for classroom teachers, and 2020 Green, a financial literacy program for high school students.

ING, through its family of companies in the U.S., offer a comprehensive array of products and services, including retirement plans, employee benefits, life insurance, fixed and variable annuities, investment advisory services and mutual funds, through a variety of distribution channels and affiliates. The ING family of companies in the U.S. are part of Amsterdam-based ING Groep N.V., one of the largest integrated financial services organizations in the world.

   AASA, ING and ScarecrowEducation are not affiliated companies.

   Media Contacts:
   Barbara Knisely, AASA      Caroline Campbell, ING U.S. Financial Services
   703-875-0723               770-618-3801
   bknisely@aasa.org          caroline.campbell@us.ing.com

SOURCE: ING Americas

CONTACT: Barbara Knisely of AASA, +1-703-875-0723, or bknisely@aasa.org;
or Caroline Campbell of ING U.S. Financial Services, +1-770-618-3801, or
caroline.campbell@us.ing.com

Web site: http://www.ing-usa.com/
http://www.aasa.org/
http://www.scarecroweducation.com/