COLUMBIA -- South Carolina hopes to take part in a new federal program relaxing No Child Left Behind penalties for schools that barely miss meeting accountability standards.
Under the plan - announced March 19 by Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings - the federal Department of Education will give up to 10 states permission to use "differentiated accountability" instead of NCLB’s all-or-nothing approach.
The pilot program is expected to be in place for the 2008-09 school year. It would let states target resources toward their lowest-performing schools most in need of significant reform, according to State Superintendent of Education Jim Rex.
"It would give us more flexibility to focus in on the schools that really need it the most," Rex said, adding that he's "pleasantly surprised" federal officials have admitted some problems exist with NCLB’s provisions. "They've always been reluctant to admit that there are parts of the law that need to be changed,” Rex said.
The law says schools must raise scores for all groups of students in most grade levels. If even one group - such as students who speak limited English or have learning disabilities - fails to meet the goal, the whole school is listed as not making Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).
Schools and districts that fall short for several years running face federal sanctions.
NCLB has treated a school that misses only one goal the same as a school falling short on many. In 2007, only 37 percent of South Carolina’s public schools (399 total) met all of their AYP goals.
Roughly two-thirds of those who did not - 451 schools - missed one to five goals. Thirteen percent of schools failed to meet only one goal.
In the pilot, states will have permission to target assistance for schools that are drastically underperforming, with less intervention for schools that are raising the test scores of most students but struggling with one group. Ten states will be accepted into the program, and Rex believes South Carolina stands a good chance of making the cut.
States must apply by May 2. Only those whose NCLB compliance has been virtually without blemish will be considered, Secretary Spellings said.
Priority will be given to states where at least 20 percent of low-income schools have been identified as needing improvement. Federal officials also will favor states that propose to combine innovative practices with a rigorous reform approach. Rex said South Carolina meets all requirements.