For Immediate Release
September 19, 2007
Contact: David Broderic
717-787-2637
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Senate Education Committee Approves Measure;
 Resolution Urges Congress To Improve No Child Left Behind

HARRISBURG – Challenging the United States Congress to make common-sense changes to the federal No Child Left Behind Act, Senate Education Committee chairman James J. Rhoades (R-29) today voted to approve a resolution outlining specific changes to some of the law's burdensome federal mandates.

To demonstrate his point, Rhoades held up a copy of the 670 page law.

"For twenty years, I have been talking about setting high standards and holding schools and students accountable for results," Rhoades said. "I am as committed to that now as I was then.

"But we need to be serious about how to do it and not just set our schools and students up for failure by loading them down with mandates that don't work."

The resolution, which the committee approved by a vote of 8-2, encourages the Congress to amend the No Child Left Behind Law to:

• fully fund the mandates the law imposes on states;
• consider all properly certified teachers "highly qualified;"
• assess special education students based on their skill levels;
• broaden assessments for all students to include a menu of indicators, such as grades, projects and portfolios, rather than relying on a single standardized test. 

"I don't want to water down the law and lower the bar for academic achievement just so that it is easier for students to jump over it," Rhoades said. "I want to make sure that No Child Left Behind does what it is supposed to do – set high standards for our schools and students and give them the tools to get the job done. 

"We need to keep the parts of the law that work. But it's time to get rid of the parts that don't so that we can get on with the job of educating the boys and girls in our public schools." 

The federal No Child Left Behind Act requires that each state establish an accountability system and publish an annual report to show the academic performance of the public schools. The law's goal is to ensure that 100% of a state's students score at "proficient" or above on the state's academic assessment test by 2014. 

It became law in 2001 and is up for reauthorization in the Congress this year.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Pictures of the event are available at: www.senatorrhoades.com or www.pasenategop.com        

  
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