Washington Examiner: Devos Appoints Democrat as Chair of Student Testing Board

The following is an article by Allison Elyse Gualtieri, which originally appeared in the Washington Examiner. For the original article, click here.

Former North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue is set to head up the nonpartisan board that oversees student achievement testing.

Perdue, a former teacher, is the first woman to chair the National Assessment Governing Board, according to Friday's announcement from the department.

The board oversees policy for the standardized exam often referred to as the Nation's Report Card, the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Perdue was appointed to the panel by Education Sec. Betsy DeVos last year.

The exam is given to students across the country, and allows states and districts to compare students' performance against those with similar demographic characteristics, including race, gender, socioeconomic status, and more.

Perdue was the first female governor of the Tar Heel State and served from 2009-2013. After leaving office, she founded edtech nonprofit DigiLearn, which looks to increase digital learning options for students and teachers.

She was previously the lieutenant governor and, before that, a state lawmaker.