Education Department Announces More Flexible Approach to NCLB Law

Mt. Vernon, Va.

U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced April 7 that she will entertain “common sense” changes to implementing the No Child Left Behind Act so long as states can guarantee her they are producing higher student achievement and following the law’s basic tenets.

She also pledges to convene a panel of experts to determine how, under current law, states could count schools and districts as making adequate yearly progress if they meet growth targets. Now, all schools and districts in a state have to reach the same levels of student proficiency.

In addition, Ms. Spellings said the department would approve individual states’ proposals for changes if the states can prove they are improving student achievement. The department would consider student test scores, high school graduation rates, and a state’s success in reaching students with disabilities and other groups whose achievement ranks below...