WASHINGTON -- U.S. Education Secretary Rod Paige today announced that the District of Columbia has completed its plan for a strong state accountability system aligned with the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Paige, accompanied by Superintendent Paul Vance, made the announcement at Randle-Highlands Elementary School.

"The District of Columbia is working with its Board of Education members and charter schools to ensure that children in the district are held to high academic standards and given a fair opportunity to meet those standards," Paige said. "I applaud Superintendent Vance, his staff, Mayor Anthony Williams and other city officials for leading this bold initiative to ensure that no child in the District of Columbia is left behind."

Under NCLB's strong accountability provisions, states must describe how they will close the achievement gap and make sure all students, including those who are disadvantaged, 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, make dramatic changes to the way the school is run.

The District of Columbia's plan is the 34th accountability plan to be approved. Other plans that have been approved include Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

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 onsite 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 approves the state plan, as he did for the District of Columbia.

Despite all the priorities competing for our tax dollars, President Bush's budget boosts federal education funding to $53.1 billion -- a $10.9 billion increase since the president took office. The District of Columbia alone will receive nearly $171 million, including more than $82 million to implement NCLB. If the president's budget is approved, federal education funding for the District of Columbia will have gone up $37.7 million since President Bush took office.

The District of Columbia'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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