COLUMBIA, S.C. -- U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige today approved South Carolina's state accountability system aligned with the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001. Robert Pasternack, assistant secretary for special education and rehabilitative services, made the announcement during a visit to Arden Elementary School. He was joined by State School Chief Inez Tenenbaum.

"South Carolina has put together a strong plan to leave no child behind that builds on their existing system of assessment and accountability," said Secretary Paige. "I applaud State School Chief Inez Tenenbaum and her team for their commitment to high education standards that ensure every student in South Carolina has equal access to a quality education and a promising future."

"South Carolina is a leader in setting high standards and I applaud the South Carolina Department of Education for using the No Child Left Behind law as a tool to complement what you were already doing at the state level," said Pasternack at Arden Elementary today. "Today is proof positive that South Carolina is fully committed to ensuring that each student -- regardless of race, zip-code, socio-economic background or disability -- has equal access to a high-quality education."

Under NCLB's strong accountability provisions, states must describe how they will close the achievement gap and make sure all students, including disadvantaged students, achieve academic proficiency. In addition, they must produce annual state and school district report cards that inform parents and communities about state and school progress. Schools that do not make progress must provide supplemental services such as free tutoring or after-school assistance, take corrective actions and -- if still not making adequate yearly progress after five years -- must make dramatic changes to the way the school is run.

South Carolina is the 22nd state to gain approval. Other states whose plans have been approved include Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

No Child Left Behind is the landmark education reform law designed to change the culture of America's schools by closing the achievement gap, offering more flexibility, giving parents more options and teaching students based on what works. Foremost among the four key principles is an insistence on stronger accountability for results. To achieve that, states must develop strong accountability systems or improve those already in place, establish high standards and hold all children to the same standards. They also must provide instruction by highly qualified teachers, which results in steady progress. All students must be proficient by the 2013-14 school year.

All states submitted draft accountability plans to the U.S. Department of Education by the Jan. 31 deadline. Following an initial review and technical assistance, if needed, the next step was on-site peer review of each state's proposed accountability plan. Teams of three peer reviewers -- independent, nonfederal education policy, reform or statistical experts -- conducted each peer review. Following a review of the team's consensus report, the department provided feedback to the state and worked to resolve any outstanding issues. Ultimately, Paige approved the state plan, as he did for South Carolina.

To date, all states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have had peer reviews of their accountability plans. Additionally, the senior staff of the Department of Education has met with education officials from the states to discuss the specifics of their plans and the unique challenges and issues in each state.

Despite all the priorities competing for our tax dollars, President Bush's budget boosts federal education funding to $53.1 billion -- an $11 billion increase since the president took office. South Carolina alone will receive more than $676 million, including nearly $264 million to implement NCLB. If the president's budget is approved, federal education funding for South Carolina will have gone up $155 million since he took office.

South Carolina's plan will be posted online in the coming days at: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/CFP/csas/index.html.

For more information about the No Child Left Behind Act, go to www.nochildleftbehind.gov.

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