School Superintendents from fourteen states sent a letter to U.S. Education Secretary Rod asking for more flexibility in evaluating school progress. The legislation punishes schools that don't perform well enough on federally mandate standardized tests. School administrators think the tests are an arbitrary measure of progress, and will punish schools that are actually improving:
"We want a more accurate indicator of public education in our state," California superintendent of public instruction Jack O'Connell said in an interview. "The static, arbitrary bar is very inflexible and is not a measure of improvement or growth."
Alaska, Arizona, Connecticut, Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Utah and Washington joined California in signing the letter.
The administration responded by attacking the school superintendents and ignoring their legitimate concerns:
Education Secretary Rod Paige responded in a statement that the 2-year-old No Child Left Behind "must be given a chance to work...Regrettably, there are some who would prefer to weaken accountability standards, regardless of the children who will be left behind as a result. Let me be very clear: Changing the law to satisfy the concerns of the system at the expense of children learning is misguided and wrong."