By
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON - A tentative deal between the White House and Senate lawmakers could weaken an important provision of President Bush's education plan, allowing struggling schools to keep federal funding even if some students make little progress.
Under Bush's plan, students' scores on annual tests would be tied to federal funding. If schools fail to make adequate progress for three years, they would be required to use as much as 15 percent of their federal funding set aside for poor children to pay for students' after-school, weekend or summer tutoring, or for transportation to another public school.
Senate aides yesterday said they had worked out a tentative agreement in which states and school districts would have to give up the funds only if students in different demographic groups fail to make one-third of the required annual progress on tests.
For instance, if a state determines that a school district must increase the percentage of Hispanic students who can read proficiently by 60 percent over 10 years, the agreement would take one year's worth of progress - in this case, six percentage points - and give schools three years to achieve the goal.
Individual schools, meanwhile, would have to reach a state's goals, but would be able to average test scores schoolwide so they are not penalized if students in certain demographic groups do poorly. Any progress whatsoever by such groups would keep a school from being labeled as "failing."
Under the agreement, groups would be determined by ethnicity, English proficiency, income and whether the students are in special education.
"What we found is that the bar we set was, frankly, too high," one Republican aide said.
An aide to Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., said Democrats were concerned about watering down accountability provisions. "We're open to massaging this a little bit, but not if it means throwing out the undergirding principal of academic achievement for all students," said Dan Gerstein.
The Senate takes up Bush's education plan this week.
The House Committee on Education and the Workforce begins debate on its version of education legislation tomorrow. House negotiators yesterday said they reached a tentative agreement that would let school districts use half of their federal funds virtually as they see fit - without approval from either federal or state government.
Under the plan, school districts could spend the money on class size reduction, teacher salaries, improved technology or whatever else they decide will raise test scores.
In exchange for the flexibility, schools would have to show better student test scores.
A program that would have given such flexibility to states was axed by negotiators, but Republicans said they may offer it as a floor amendment.
