The Department of Education has added six more states to a list of 17 already selected for intensive monitoring of their supplemental-education-services and public-school-choice programs under the No Child Left Behind Act. The department is looking closely at those programs to improve their implementation and ensure that parents are aware of their options when schools do not make adequate yearly progress under the federal law.
The latest states targeted for expanded monitoring this year are Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, New Mexico, and Texas. The District of Columbia has also been placed on the list. California was on the new list of states, but was among the 17 originally selected for the special monitoring. Department officials couldn’t immediately explain why the state was on both lists.
The states were chosen on the basis of a risk analysis that examined factors such as the percentage of a state’s schools in need of improvement, corrective action, or restructuring; the proportion of students eligible for the services compared with their participation rate; and the findings of past departmental monitoring reports.
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