Margaret Spellings
PER
Spellings Margaret Spellings
In a letter, the federal education secretary, Margaret Spellings, said that while Connecticut's tests are instructionally sound, they go beyond what was contemplated by N.C.L.B. Federal officials suggested that Connecticut switch to multiple-choice tests and eliminate writing tests to cut costs. Ms. Spellings rejected this request, saying that annual testing was a crucial part of the law. In an opinion article in The Hartford Courant, Ms. Spellings compared Connecticut officials to children who did not like tests and said that, as adults, they should surely know better. She wrote that tests needed to be administered annually to highlight and shrink the achievement gap between white and black students.