Illinois gains flexibility under No Child Left Behind
Beginning next year, Illinois schools that just miss meeting state and federal standards will be judged less harshly than those that miss by a lot, U.S. Department of Education officials announced this week.
A new pilot program gives Illinois and five other states more flexibility in implementing the federal No Child Left Behind law, often criticized for its one-size-fits-all approach to school improvement.
The Illinois plan would differentiate for the first time between schools that fail because the entire student body lags in math or reading and those that fail because a small group of students misses the mark.
The federal accountability law breaks students into groups based on race, ethnicity, language and special learning needs. If one group fails, the entire school fails, and consecutive years of failure can lead to harsh sanctions.
But under the new Illinois plan, sanctions would be targeted to help lagging groups. Schools, for example, that fail because English learners do not pass the test might have to upgrade their bilingual coursework, but wouldn't be forced to overhaul their entire curriculum.
"This is very important," said Steve Cordogan, who crunches test score data in Northwest Suburban High School District 214. "Because in the next two years, a huge number of schools are going to be in restructuring ... And you're going to be punishing some of the highest-performing schools in the state."
Three District 214 schools, Buffalo Grove, Rolling Meadows and Wheeling high schools, all face major state sanctions within the next two years. Statewide, 708 schools are on the hot seat for failing two or more years in a row.
It remains unclear, however, whether richer schools like District 214 schools will benefit from the pilot program. The changes announced Tuesday apply only to schools that receive federal dollars for their large concentrations of poor students.
But schools also face state penalties, similar to federal penalties, if they fail for consecutive years. And those state requirements, included in the school code, won't immediately change.
The new flexibility provisions are meant to benefit all schools, state board of education Andrea Preston said, and the changes could eventually extend to state accountability measures.
Other states gaining more freedom under the pilot program are Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Maryland and Ohio. Another 11 sought the approval.
Some critics worry the changes will take the pressure off schools that generally perform well but have trouble with one group of students.
"I don't think it's taking pressure off. I think it's allowing focus," Georgia sate Superintendent Kathy Cox said.
Daily Herald news services contributed to this report