Joint Statement on NCLB Reauthorization

The National Governor's Association, the Council of Chief State School Officers, and the National Association of State Boards of Education have issued a joint position paper on the reauthorization of NCLB.

The statement calls for a number of changes and a great deal more control in the hands of the states. ECS e-clips summarized the proposals as follows:

The NGA's recommendations include allowing states to decide the most appropriate way to test students; not requiring any new tests; differentiating consequences for schools that fail to make progress by a little or a lot; rewarding schools that perform well; and giving states grants to voluntarily benchmark themselves to international standards. The governors also want fewer restrictions to consider a teacher "highly qualified." The NGA also called for the federal government to give states enough money to adhere to the act.