The state of Illinois is hoping President Obama will allow it to drop out of the No Child Left Behind law.So far 10-states have been given that approval. Indiana and Kentucky are part of the intial group of states that are the first to receive waivers. Under No Child Left Behind schools are supposed to have all students proficient at their grade level's reading and math standards by 2014 or else face sanctions. In October, State Board of Education Chairman Gery Chico announced that Illinois would apply.
Chico says it's important for Illinois to get out from underneath the system because it will inaccurately label schools as failures if they don't meet the 2014 deadline... when in fact the schools are failing. Chico says the standards it requires are unattainable, and use perverse incentives that set kids up to fail.
A Board of Education spokeswoman says Illinois is working on its application. She says the state plans to submit its request February 21st. The Obama administration is granting reprieve from No Child Left Behind if states agree to different accountability systems, which it says must focus less on test scores and more on learning.
