Read about the TUDA Task Force - our newest collaboration with Council of the Great City Schools.

Governing Board, Council of Great City Schools Create Task Force on the Trial Urban District Assessment

For Immediate Release: March 21, 2018

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A new task force, launched last week, will be dedicated to learning from and supporting the Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) program, which measures performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in 27 urban school districts across the country.

The TUDA Task Force is a collaboration between the National Assessment Governing Board, which sets policy for NAEP, and the Council of the Great City Schools, a coalition of 70 of the nation's largest urban school districts. The 10 district leaders on the task force will share how they use and disseminate TUDA data as a means of understanding and promoting best practices. The leaders also will offer feedback to the Governing Board and the National Center for Education Statistics to inform NAEP policies and the TUDA program.

"This new task force provides important opportunities for the Governing Board and the districts which volunteer to participate in TUDA to work together on The Nation's Report Card," said Michael Casserly, who serves as executive director of the Council of the Great City Schools and was instrumental in creating the TUDA program. "The Council is pleased with this important new group and looks forward to the work ahead."

Funded by Congress in 2002, TUDA has collected and reported student achievement data for select large urban districts every other year since 2003. In 2003, six districts volunteered to participate. That number has grown to 27 districts in 2017. TUDA focuses attention on the specific challenges and accomplishments associated with urban education, emphasizing how NAEP results can inform efforts to improve student achievement.

The task force held its inaugural meeting on March 16 and discussed the Governing Board's newly adopted priorities for setting the NAEP assessment schedule and shared insights for the April 10 release of 2017 TUDA reading and mathematics results.

Members of the TUDA Task Force include:

• Dr. Nicole Binder, director of assessment and accountability, Hillsborough County Public Schools (Florida)
• Dr. Tommy Chang, superintendent, Boston Public Schools
• Susana Cordova, deputy superintendent, Denver Public Schools
• Daisy Gonzalez-Diego, chief communications officer, Miami-Dade County Public Schools
• Shannon Haber, chief communications officer, Los Angeles Unified School District
• Dr. Janice K. Jackson, chief executive officer, Chicago Public Schools
• Tamara Lewis, Specialist II-Data Management, Planning, and Program Evaluation, Jefferson County Public Schools (Kentucky)
• Wanda Mobley, director of communications, Guilford County Schools (Greensboro, N.C.)
• Dr. Cecilia Oakley, assistant superintendent for evaluation and assessment, Dallas Independent School District
• Brian F. Schultz, chief academic officer, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public Schools (North Carolina)

"We're excited about what we can learn from these thoughtful and dedicated leaders," said Governing Board Executive Director Bill Bushaw. "Our goal from this effort is to make NAEP even more of a resource and enhance its relevance for those who work to improve academic achievement across the country."

View our one-page summary with more details on the TUDA program and a map with a list of the 27 participating districts.

Register to attend in-person or via livestream our April 10 release event on the 2017 NAEP results in reading and mathematics for grades 4 and 8. Data on student performance by at the national and state level and for the 27 urban districts will be discussed by experts, including several leaders from TUDA districts.

  Download the PDF format of this release