Power to the states: Education law rewrite passes Congress

WASHINGTON (AP) — Those federally mandated math and reading tests will continue, but a sweeping rewrite of the nation's education law will now give states — not the U.S. government — authority to decide how to use the results in evaluating teachers and schools.

There are risks that states may set goals too low or not act quickly enough, said Daria Hall, vice president for government affairs and communication at the Education Trust.

More children from low- and moderate-income families will have access to preschool through a new grant program that is to use existing funding to support state efforts.

The bill says the federal government may not mandate or give states incentives to adopt or maintain any particular set of academic standards, such as Common Core.

The administration offered grants through its Race to the Top program for states that adopted strong academic standards for students.

To make sure all children get a fair shot at a quality education, states will be required to intervene in the lowest-performing 5 percent of schools, in high schools with high dropout rates and in schools with stubborn achievement gaps.

The measure would substantially limit the federal government's role, barring the Education Department from telling states and local districts how to assess school and teacher performance.

The measure also ends the waivers the Obama administration has given to more than 40 states — exemptions granted around the more onerous parts of No Child when it became clear that requirements such as having all students proficient in reading and math by 2014 would not be met.