States Dicker Over Changes to AYP Plans

By Lynn Olson

Just weeks before states release their lists of schools that have not met "adequate yearly progress" targets under the main federal K-12 law, many states are still negotiating with federal officials over changes to their accountability plans designed to reduce those numbers.

But whether the proposed changes are common-sense measures that would better and more reliably identify needy schools or attempts to duck accountability is largely in the eye of the beholder. Moreover, the sheer volume of last-minute revisions could make it harder to tell if schools have really improved, or if the rules of the game have simply changed.

"It is going to be important to watch this process very carefully," said Ross Wiener, the policy director for the Education Trust, a nonprofit group in Washington that works to raise student achievement. "It would be a concern if it appears that there has been improvement, when in fact student...