Great Falls Tribune: Montana’s Senators looking at ‘No Child’ overhaul

When it comes to federal oversight of students, Montana’s senators both seem to agree changes are needed to the laws that dictate the federal No Child Left Behind standards.

This week and next, the U.S. Senate is expected to debate the merits of the Every Child Achieves Act, the Senate’s proposal for re-authorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The ESEA includes the guidelines for No Child Left Behind and annual measurement of yearly progress that has been challenging schools for more than a decade.

Over the years, schools have had to test their students and meet certain benchmarks in reading and math to be considered proficient in various groups of student populations — everyone from economically disadvantaged to special education students. If they didn’t make the grade, school districts across the country have had to do anything from holding over part of their federal funds for tutoring to offering students choices to move to other schools.