Schools that fail to improve rapidly enough in the coming years can face state and federal sanctions. Besides risking the loss of federal funds, schools can have their teachers and principals removed and they can be taken over by their states, although such extreme measures are unlikely on a broad scale.
Linn and other education experts said thousands of schools could fail to meet expectations, raising serious questions about whether the states and the federal government have enough resources--and expertise--to handle so much failure.
But Linn and other leading experts also are worried about states redefining what it means to be proficient to include students who fall below that level.
"I think there are strong incentives to set the bar lower if [states] haven't already done it," Linn said.
Colorado is proposing such a system. The state wants to have separate definitions of proficiency--one for its own use and one for Washington's.
For federal purposes, Colorado wants to define proficiency as those students who are both "proficient" and "partially proficient" on state English and math tests. The state would stick with only "proficient" for use among its own schools.
The state's education commissioner, William J. Moloney, sees no conflict in the separate definitions, noting that Colorado's high standards are the ones that count in the eyes of the state's schools.
"If I'm delivering good things for kids in Colorado, I'm not the least worried that a posse from Washington is going to show up," Moloney said. "We are quite confident that what we're doing will be blessed by the federal government. At the end of the day, the bottom line is results for kids."
Officials with the U.S. Department of Education said Colorado's definition of proficiency does not appear to be workable, although no formal decision has been made.
Nearly all states, including California, are still drafting their proposals for how they would meet the federal law. These are due in January and must be approved by the U.S. Department of Education.
One option being discussed in California is to classify 1.5 million students as proficient who now are deemed to have only a basic grasp of English and math.
But the idea is unpopular with the state's leading educators, including Secretary of Education Mazzoni and State Board of Education members.
