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National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) examines the data use and assessment training for pre-service teachers in 48 elementary and secondary programs. The authors specifically examined assessment literacy (understanding of different assessment types and the data they produce), analytical skills (the ability to work with and present the assessment data), and instructional decision-making (using assessment results to make decisions about classroom practice). Programs that included both instruction and opportunity for practice were considered "adequate". NCTQ found that the majority of programs inadequately covered these assessment and data use topics, and analytical skills and instructional decision-making, in particular, were largely absent from these programs. Given these findings, NCTQ provides recommendations at both the national and local levels. They suggest greater federal support of research to better understand the teacher skills and school conditions needed for best data use practices, and better assessment/data use preparation for pre-service teachers through federal policy. They also recommend that districts hiring large groups of teachers from specific institutions work with the programs to better prepare teachers for data use, and that assessment/data use knowledge be included on states' teacher licensing examinations. In May 2012, NCTQ plans to expand this study by examining 200 programs in 100 institutions in 25 states.