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Half of schools not meeting new standards

State Officials said today that less than half of Missouri school districts met the requirements of the new No Child Left Behind Act. From the state capital, Aidian Holder has the story.

The new standards require every school district to make what's called "adequate yearly progress" in their student's test scores.

This is the first year the state has measured to see if districts are reaching the goal, and the numbers show just under 50 percent of schools reaching their target.

One state official sees the education glass as half full.

Assistant Commissioner of Education Bert Schulte says that the standards are very tough to meet.

Schools that fail to meet their targets for two or more years in a row are subject to sanctions, including loss of funding.

From the State Capital, I'm Aidian Holder

New figures released today show that most Missouri Schools aren't meeting their goals for student improvement. Aidian Holder has the story.

The new No Child Left Behind law requires Missouri schools to make steady improvement in student test scores . . . but the figures released today showed that less than half of the districts are improving fast enough to meet the state standard.

Statewide, less than 20 percent of students were considered proficient in reading, writing, and math.

Assistant Education Commissioner Bert Schulte says these numbers are low because Missouri standards are high.

Schulte says other states . . . states with higher test scores . . . have lower standards.

From the State Capital, I'm Aidian Holder