U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige today approved Missouri's state accountability system aligned with the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001.

The announcement was made by President Bush at a White House ceremony honoring the 2003 Teacher of the Year. Missouri Commissioner Kent King joined President Bush for the announcement.

"Missouri's straight-forward system and an infrastructure for data collection put the state firmly on the path to ensuring that no child is left behind," Paige said. "We applaud the state and its leaders for taking on this ambitious challenge of education reform so that fair, equal and significant opportunities for academic success are available to every child."

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.

Missouri is the 15th state to gain approval. Other states whose plans have been approved include Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio and West Virginia.

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 and, ultimately, proficiency for all students 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 provides feedback to the state and works to resolve any outstanding issues. Ultimately, Paige approves the state plan, as he did for Missouri.

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. Missouri alone will receive more than $865 million, including $322 million to implement NCLB. If the president's budget is approved, federal education funding for Missouri will have gone up $163 million since he took office.

Missouri'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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