SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today issued the following statement in response to a new report by the National Conference of State Legislatures urging changes to the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).

"I applaud this nationwide call for more flexibility in the No Child Left Behind Act. Far from shirking accountability, California has been a leader in holding high standards for its students and holding its schools publicly accountable for student achievement. Our state standards for what every student should know and be able to accomplish in each grade are widely acclaimed as among the most rigorous in the nation. As a state, we have refused to lower our standards, and as a result our schools are unfairly penalized by the demands of NCLB. A year ago, I led a coalition of state schools chiefs seeking flexibility in NCLB so that states with high standards such as California be allowed to measure adequate yearly progress on the basis of academic growth from year to year. I am pleased that the National Conference of State Legislatures has now joined us in this effort."

For more information on the National Conference of State Legislatures' report, please visit State Legislators Offer Formula for Improving No Child Left Behind Act [http://www.ncsl.org/programs/press/2005/pr050223.htm] (Outside Source).