text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  
      This Act may be cited as the ``Head Start Assessment Act of 2003''.
  
  SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
  
      Congress finds the following:
              (1) When used appropriately, valid and reliable assessments 
          can be of positive value for improving instruction and 
          supporting development of young children.
              (2) According to the National Academy of Sciences report, 
          Eager to Learn: Educating Our Preschoolers, assessment of 
          children below school age is in ``flux'' and ``all assessments, 
          and particularly assessments for accountability, must be used 
          carefully and appropriately if they are to resolve, and not 
          create, educational problems.''
              (3) The Eager to Learn report emphasized that the intended 
          purpose and use of the data to be derived from assessments 
          should be considered in determining which assessment 
          instruments and procedures are most appropriate.
              (4) The National Academy of Sciences reports that few early 
          childhood educators and administrators are well-trained in the 
          selection and appropriate use of assessments for young 
          children.
              (5) According to the National Academy of Sciences report, 
          From Neurons to Neighborhoods, the emotional and social 
          development of young children is as critical to school 
          readiness as language and cognitive development.
              (6) The Head Start Act currently requires programs to 
          assess children in Head Start a minimum of three times a year 
          against certain performance standards, which include all 
          domains of the development and learning of children.
              (7) The proposed Head Start National Reporting System on 
          Child Outcomes assessment is not reflective of the full range 
          of skills and competencies that the National Academy of 
          Sciences reports state children require to succeed, and it has 
          not been thoroughly debated by those groups associated with 
          Head Start, including early childhood development and 
          assessment experts, early childhood educators and 
          administrators, family members of children participating in 
          Head Start, or Congress.
  
  SEC. 3. DELAYED IMPLEMENTATION OF ASSESSMENT PROCEDURES IN CONNECTION 
                WITH THE HEAD START NATIONAL REPORTING SYSTEM ON CHILD 
                OUTCOMES.
  
      (a) Satisfaction of Conditions.--The Secretary of Health and Human 
  Services shall not proceed with the full-scale implementation of the 
  Head Start National Reporting System on Child Outcomes, as described in 
  the project proposal (68 Fed. Reg. 17815; relating to Implementation of 
  the Head Start National Reporting System on Child Outcomes), until the 
  Secretary certifies to Congress that the following conditions have been 
  satisfied:
              (1) Oversight hearings.--Congressional oversight hearings 
          have been concluded concerning the development and 
          implementation of the Head Start National Reporting System on 
          Child Outcomes.
              (2) Public forums.--The Secretary has concluded, consistent 
          with the requirements of subsection (b), public forums in 
          different regions of the United States, and provided an 
          opportunity for written public comments, concerning early 
          childhood assessment proposals.
              (3) Study on early childhood assessments.--The Secretary 
          has submitted, consistent with subsection (c), to Congress a 
          study of early childhood assessments focusing on improving 
          accountability, instruction, and the delivery of services. The 
          Secretary shall request the National Academy of Sciences to 
          prepare the study using a panel of nationally recognized 
          experts in early childhood assessment, child development, and 
          education.
              (4) Availability of funds.--Without reducing the number of 
          students served by Head Start, sufficient funds are available 
          to--
                      (A) develop and implement any new Head Start 
                  assessments; and
                      (B) deliver necessary additional technical 
                  assistance and professional development required to 
                  successfully implement the new assessments.
      (b) Public Forum Participation.--To satisfy the condition specified 
  in subsection (a)(2), the Secretary shall ensure that participation in 
  the required forums includes--
              (1) early childhood development and assessment experts;
              (2) early childhood educators and administrators; and
              (3) family members of children participating in Head Start.
      (c) Information Required by Study on Early Childhood Assessments.--
  To satisfy the condition specified in subsection (a)(3), the Secretary 
  shall ensure that the required study contains, at a minimum, specific 
  information regarding the following:
              (1) Which skills and competencies are predictive of school 
          readiness and future academic success.
              (2) The development, selection, and use of instruments, 
          determined to be reliable and validated for preschoolers, 
          including preschoolers in the Head Start population, to assess 
          the development in young children of--
                      (A) literacy, language, and mathematical skills;
                      (B) emotional and social skills; and
                      (C) health and physical well-being.
              (3) The development of appropriate benchmarks and the 
          proper use of early childhood assessments to improve Head Start 
          program effectiveness and instruction.
              (4) The resources required for successful implementation of 
          additional assessments within Head Start and how such 
          additional assessments might be coordinated with current 
          processes.
              (5) Whether a new assessment would provide information to 
          improve program accountability or instruction that is not 
          already available from existing assessments and reporting 
          procedures within Head Start.
              (6) The professional development and personnel needs for 
          successful implementation of early childhood assessments.
              (7) The practicality of employing sampling techniques as 
          part of any early childhood assessment.
              (8) The practicality of employing observational and work-
          sampling assessment techniques as part of an early childhood 
          assessment.
              (9) Steps needed to ensure that assessments accommodate the 
          racial, cultural, and linguistic diversity of young children, 
          including young children with disabilities.
target: Head Start Assessment Act of 2003 - Prohibits the Secretary of Health and Human Services from proceeding with the full-scale implementation of the Head Start National Reporting System on Child Outcomes, as described in a specified project proposal, until the Secretary certifies to Congress that: (1) congressional oversight hearings have been concluded concerning the development and implementation of the System; (2) the Secretary has concluded public forums in different regions of the United States, and provided an opportunity for written public comments, concerning early childhood assessment proposals; (3) the Secretary has reported to Congress a study by the National Academy of Sciences of early childhood assessments focusing on improving accountability, instruction, and the delivery of services; and (4) sufficient funds are available to develop and implement any new Head Start assessments, and deliver necessary additional technical assistance and professional development required to successfully implement these assessments.
  
  Prescribes requirements for participants in such public forums.
feat_title: To condition the implementation of assessment procedures in connection with the Head Start National Reporting System on Child Outcomes, and for other purposes.