Show No Child Changes Offer States More Flexibility Johanna Neuman Contributing Writer Education Secretary Margaret Spellings in an effort to quiet a rebellion over federal education policy announced Thursday that states with strong accountability accountability accountability account account- ability systems already in place would be given greater flexibility in implementing the No Child Left Behind Act I It n is results that truly matter matter matter mat mat- ter not the bureaucratic way you get there Spellings said at a meeting with state education education education tion chiefs at George Washington's estate Mount 1 Vernon just south of Washington just common sense sometimes lost in the halls of govern govern- ment The laws law's goal is to have all children meet their grade- grade level standards in reading and math by the 2014 2013 school year Ever since the bill was signed in 2002 states have complained that strict adherence adherence adherence ence to federal standards with no flexibility to substitute substitute substitute tute the results of state creat has ed achievement tests usurped state and local control control control con con- of schools The legislation requires the Department of Education to withhold federal funds from schools that fail to meet the standards More than a dozen state legislatures have passed resolutions protesting the law lawas as an mandate that t requires state action without providing compensating funds On Thursday before an invited audience of business and education leaders Spellings offered the states some relief There would she said be beno beno beno no change in what she called the bright lines of the law annual testing in grades 3 through 8 to measure student achievement test results by subgroups minority students language English-language learners economically disadvantaged for greater tutoring improved quality of teachers and more feedback to parents about the quality of their schools scho ls their teachers and their tives But schools seeking addi add i- i flexibility or waivers I on reaching those benchmark goals would get credit for forthe forthe forthe the work they have done to reform their education system saidOn said saidOn saidOn as a whole Spellings On this new path were we're going to let research and results drive our decisions she said comparing the modifications modifications modifications mod mod- to the changes parents parents parents par par- make after the first three years of a childs child's life The law has successfully come through what parents fondly call the terrible twos Now she said she hoped to tolay tolay tolay lay a foundation for continuous ous improvement and success down the road See Child continued on page 5 Child cont cant from frontAs frontAs front As Exhibit A in this new sense common-sense approach she offered a proposal pro- pro proposal to increase the number of special-education special students eligible for alternative standardized standardized standardized stan- stan testing more closely aligned with their ability lev- lev els Under the current provisions provisions provisions provi- provi schools that fail to show adequate yearly progress in student test scores can be sanctioned by the federal government Increasing the number of education cial-education students who can take alternative tests should enable schools to better better better bet- bet ter meet the requirement for showing such progress The discretion to reward some states and not others was a concern to some observers who worried that the Department of Education could become politicized Theres been a perception that some states have gotten b better tt than fathers said Patricia Sullivan director director director tor of the Center on Education Policy an independent independent independent inde inde- pendent advocacy group for public education Just look at the difference in the way the Department of Education reacted to Connecticut versus Utah she said Connecticut asked for a waiver and the department department depart depart- department ment said no sno Utah asked for fora a waiver and the department said Lets negotiate Connecticut is preparing to sue the Department of Education over the No Child provisions But most educators including including including j ing California Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack OConnell O'Connell were pleased by the signs of new flexibility Overall its it's a very positive in the step right direction j said OConnell O'Connell who has been pushing the department to consider growth models how far a school district has progressed in assessing schools Spellings said Thursday that she would convene convene convene con con- vene a study group on that and other innovations Still others say teachers' teachers morale has been affected by bythe bythe bythe the laws law's seeming challenge to their qualifications No Child Left Behind has generally hurt teacher morale said Joel Packer education specialist at the National Education Association which with 27 million I members is the largest teachers union Veteran tea teachers hers have to go through a lot of paperwork toI to I prove that they are highly qualified A lot of f them find that insulting And schools are sending letters home telling parents that their childrens children's children's childrens childrens children's chil chil- drens dren's teachers are not qualified qualified qualified fied even though the deadline deadline deadline dead dead- line for qualification hasn't t even occurred yet |