Session 2005 MPR Budget Balancer Mike Mulcahy's Capitol Letter Minnesota Legislature Web site Bonding Budget Education Health Care Social issues Transportation Audio Midday: Minnesota Education Commissioner Alice Seagren and Sen. Steve Kelley, DFL-Hopkins, chair of the Senate Education Committee. Kelley co-chaired a bi-partisan task force of the National Conference of State Legislatures on No Child Left Behind. (3/15/2005) Photos Brushing up More from MPR MPR Series: A Lesson on Learning (03/10/2003) Report predicts tough times for Minnesota schools (02/26/2004) Tools E-mail this page Print this page Sponsor

Senate committee prepares to dump No Child Left Behind in Minnesota
March 15, 2005

In this file photo students at Oak Grove Middle School in Bloomington gather in a classroom to brush up on their test-taking skills. These after-school sessions are aimed at 8th graders at risk of failing the state Basic Skills Tests in reading and math. English teacher Kathleen West helped students prepare for the reading test. (MPR Photo/Tim Pugmire)

St. Paul, Minn. — (AP) The federal education law that has introduced more testing and accountability to the nation's schools came under renewed fire in the Minnesota Senate on Tuesday.

An education committee passed a bill Tuesday to allow the state's schools to ignore the No Child Left Behind law beginning in 2006 unless a series of changes are made to it.

Senators from both political parties attacked the law before passing DFL Sen. Steve Kelley's bill. They say the law is too rigid when it comes to measuring student progress and recognizing the special challenges of some students.

The federal law demands that states test students in reading and math every year from third- to eighth-grade, and requires schools to demonstrate gains among all students toward universal proficiency by 2014. Schools that fall short of annual goals can be forced to ease student transfers, pay for private tutoring or replace the entire staff.

Sen. Gen Olson, R-Minnetrista, said the threat of opting out might provoke needed change.

"Wimpiness doesn't seem to get us very far. Sometime there needs to be some firm definition," she said. "There's a desire to send a serious message that at this point we do mean business."

But such an action could cost Minnesota as much as $225 million in federal education funding.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who supports the law, said opponents are just "kicking up some dust" and he doesn't see the state following through on the threat.

"Minnesota isn't going to pull out. We can't pull out. It would be a bad idea to pull out," he said.

The bill now moves to the Senate Finance Committee, its last stop before a floor vote.