NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige today approved Tennessee's state accountability system aligned with the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001. Ken Meyer, special assistant in the Office of Intergovernmental and Interagency Affairs, made the announcement today with Tennessee Deputy Commissioner of Education Keith Brewer.

"Tennessee has worked hard to integrate an established accountability system into the No Child Left Behind requirements," Secretary Paige said. "I applaud Commissioner Lana Seivers and her team for their leadership and for taking the bold steps to do what is necessary to ensure that every student in Tennessee has equal access to a high-quality education."

In his remarks, Meyer said, "I am honored to be back in Tennessee to announce that Tennessee is the 25th state to gain approval for its No Child Left Behind accountability plan. Tennessee has put together a plan that takes into account the needs of individual schools and students and builds upon its established accountability efforts. On behalf of Secretary Paige, I am excited to deliver the good news about Tennessee's accountability plan."

Under NCLB's strong accountability provisions, states must describe how they will close the achievement gap and make sure all students, including disadvantaged students, achieve academic proficiency. In addition, they must produce annual state and school district report cards that inform parents and communities about state and school progress. Schools that do not make progress must provide supplemental services, such as free tutoring or after-school assistance, take corrective actions and, if still not making adequate yearly progress after five years, must make dramatic changes to the way the school is run.

Other states whose plans have been approved include Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

No Child Left Behind is the landmark education reform law designed to change the culture of America's schools by closing the achievement gap, offering more flexibility, giving parents more options and teaching students based on what works.

Foremost among the four key principles is an insistence on stronger accountability for results. To achieve that, states must develop strong accountability systems or improve those already in place, establish high standards and hold all children to the same standards. They also must provide instruction by highly qualified teachers, which results in steady progress. All students must be proficient by the 2013-14 school year.

All states submitted draft accountability plans to the U.S. Department of Education by the Jan. 31 deadline. Following an initial review and technical assistance, if needed, the next step was onsite peer review of each state's proposed accountability plan. Teams of three peer reviewers -- independent, nonfederal education policy, reform or statistical experts -- conducted each peer review. Following a review of the team's consensus report, the Department provided feedback to the state and worked to resolve any outstanding issues. Ultimately, Paige approved the state plan, as he did for Tennessee.

To date, all states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have had peer reviews of their accountability plans. Additionally, the senior staff of the Department of Education has met with education officials from the states to discuss the specifics of their plans and the unique challenges and issues in each state.

Despite all the priorities competing for our tax dollars, President Bush's budget boosts federal education funding to $53.1 billion -- an $11 billion increase since the president took office. Tennessee alone will receive more than $829 million, including more than $279 million to implement NCLB. If the president's budget is approved, federal education funding for Tennessee will have gone up $156 million since he took office.

Tennessee's plan will be posted online in the coming days at: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/CFP/csas/index.html.

For more information about the No Child Left Behind Act, go to www.nochildleftbehind.gov.

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