Federal Study: State School Standards Vary

The U.S. Department of Education has released its first report on state standards used in (and progress towards) attaining student proficiency under the No Child Left Behind Law. Under the law, all students must be brought to a standard of "academic proficiency" by 2014, but specific proficiency standards and tests may be determined by individual states. According to the Washington Post , the study "found that most of the scores that would label a student proficient on state tests don't yield that grade on the national tests. There also are huge differences in where states set their benchmarks."

• Read "The Nation's Report Card" (U.S. Dept. of Education)
• Statement from U.S. Secretary of Education on Report (U.S. Dept. of Ed.)
• No Child Left Behind (U.S. Dept. of Ed.)
• Washington Post: Study: Big Differences in State Tests
• Education and the Law (FindLaw)