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SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell issued the following statement in response to a visit to California by U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings and her discussions on the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act.

"I appreciate efforts to keep the discussion on the re-authorization of NCLB alive, and I feel strongly that this issue remains in the public spotlight. I've said all along that I generally agree with the goals of NCLB, but we must amend the law to more fairly and sensibly address the needs of states with established accountability systems and high expectations for schools."

Last year, O'Connell sent to members of Congress his formal recommendations for the reauthorization of NCLB. O'Connell based his recommendations on a series of public hearings he held with education stakeholders throughout the state. Allowing states to use a growth or improvement model for school accountability, such as California's Academic Performance Index, is a key element in O'Connell's package of recommendations.

"NCLB has been a powerful tool for focusing public schools on the need to improve achievement by all student groups. However, one of its biggest weaknesses, in my view, is that it has been overly inflexible and, in some cases, has not allowed states, schools, or districts to pursue successful practices. I hope that mistake won't be made again when NCLB is reauthorized."

Among O'Connell's other recommendations are amendments that would:

• Fully fund the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and make the investment commensurate to its expectations a priority throughout the federal appropriations cycle;
• Extend and expand common-sense flexibility for meeting highly qualified teacher requirements;
• Allow states and school districts more flexibility and provide more efficient funding for the provision of supplemental educational services and school choice; and
• Recognize parental rights to exempt their children from state testing, and not penalize schools where more than 5 percent of parents exercise that right.

To read O'Connell's specific recommendations for NCLB, please visit ESEA Reauthorization Recommendations - Letters.