A new report is critical of how Wisconsin reports student performance under No Child Left Behind.
For the second year in a row, Wisconsin tops the Pangloss Index put out by Education Sector, a policy think tank. The Index identifies states that have lowered standards for measuring student performance. Study author Kevin Carey says Wisconsin has chose to implement NCLB in a way that really violates the spirit of the law.
Carey says the state has used the flexibility of federal law to prevent schools from being considered low performing. Carey says such methods make it harder to help some students gain access to programs that allow them to move out of under performing schools or access free tutoring.
Carey says Wisconsin really shares the blame with the federal government. He says the US Department of Education needs to hold a tighter line, while states need to be more responsible for the choices they make.
The state Department of Public Instruction says it is reviewing the report.