As federal officials gear up to implement the No Child Left Behind Act, state policymakers are all over the map in their plans for addressing the requirements of that complex new law. In Vermont, Governor Howard Dean said he will ask state officials to consider rejecting federal education funds to avoid having to meet the new federal testing requirements. Dean, who is considering a run for the presidency in 2004, says that it will be extremely expensive for the state to rebuild its testing system, but analysts say that Dean's assessments of the cost of new tests and of the amount of federal Title I aid that Vermont would lose if it spurned federal funds are shaky. Maryland officials announced that they would abandon the MSPAP, the state's performance-based testing program, which has long been a favorite of testing experts despite serious questions about its reliability and usefulness. The state's test does not meet the requirements of the new federal law because it does not yield results for individual students nor are its results available by the beginning of the next school year. In Indiana, the state superintendent unveiled a new online exam featuring essays and open-ended questions scored by a computer. In New Jersey, the governor has endorsed a plan to create a new system of standardized tests and more flexible student evaluations. Will the U.S. Department of Education be able to herd these cats? A long article in Government Executive magazine outlines the challenges that agency faces as it shifts from a compliance relationship with the states to one of guiding them on how to meet the new requirements. The article looks at the department's struggles in boosting compliance with the requirements of the 1994 reauthorization and critically assesses the agency's capacity to provide technical assistance to states. Stay tuned as this long-term drama continues to unfold. "Dean wants state to reject education aid," by Greg Toppo, Rutland Herald, April 18, 2002; "Maryland school test is dropped," by Mike Bowler, The Baltimore Sun, April 25, 2002; "Computer testing pilot wins educators' praise," by Barb Berggoetz, Indianapolis Star, April 23, 2002; "Jersey overhauls student testing," by John Mooney, The Star-Ledger, April 26, 2002; and "Making the grade," by Matthew Weinstock, Government Executive Magazine, May 1, 2002.
