Mass. Files Alternate To 'No Child Left Behind' Plan

Massachusetts has submitted a proposal to replace some of the strictest provisions of the No Child Left Behind law with a more flexible system that would require the state's public schools to show steady improvement.

The state's 85-page plan submitted to the U.S. Department of Education on Monday gives schools more latitude to reach academic goals than the 2002 law, praised for focusing on struggling students but criticized for unfairly labeling solid schools as sub-par.

The Boston Globe reports that the plan calls for schools to cut in half the rate of students failing to reach proficiency in English, math, and science on standardized tests by 2017. Schools that consistently fall short would face stricter oversight.

No Child called for all students to reach proficiency in math and English by 2014.