Florida
flapostille.Com

After years of waiting for Congress to act, local education leaders are glad to see President Barack Obama stepping forward with a plan that will allow states to opt out of sanctions imposed under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

Obama announced the plan last week as changes to the law remain hung up in Congress. Florida will seek a waiver from the federal rules that have been the target of complaints for years, according to a state Department of Education spokeswoman.

"I'm really personally pleased because there seems to be a disconnect between what the law intended and what is actually happening in the districts," said Volusia School Board member Candace Lankford. "We're getting ready to face a tsunami of sanctions."

The 2002 federal law requires that all children perform at grade level in reading and math by 2014 as measured by annual tests.

Depending on their enrollment diversity, local schools must meet learning standards in up to 39 categories based on Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test scores sorted by race, family income, disabilities and English proficiency. If they fail in even one, they fail overall to make "adequate yearly progress" as defined by the federal law.

The tests and scoring vary from state to state, which critics say makes it impossible to compare educational achievement across the nation.

Florida's education accountability system -- which assigns schools A-F grades each year -- also is based on FCAT scores, but it gives schools credit for improvement even if all students aren't performing on grade level.

Lankford said the mismatch between the state and federal systems confuses parents.

In Volusia, for example, only Freedom Elementary School in DeLand achieved "adequate yearly progress" last school year while 77 percent of elementary schools and all middle schools earned A or B grades on their state report cards. High school grades will be released later.

Though many Flagler County schools made A's and the district earned an A in the latest round of state-issued school grades, none achieved adequate yearly progress this year.

Florida doesn't have any choice but to apply to opt-out of No Child Left Behind, said Flagler School Board Chairwoman Sue Dickinson.

"The state of Florida needs to apply simply because we have set the standards so high here in this state that there's no way.¤.¤. the majority of the schools here in Florida are ever going to meet it,' Dickinson said.

The state system allows schools earning A's or improving their grades from one year to the next to receive cash rewards. Those earning D or F grades must offer their students transfers to better-performing public schools.

Schools receiving federal Title I funding because they serve large numbers of children from low-income families face No Child Left Behind sanctions of increasing severity if they fail repeatedly to make adequate progress. They include student transfers, private tutoring and replacement of staff.

This year, Volusia schools had to set aside nearly $3.7 million to bus transfer students or pay for private tutoring.

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