'Safe Harbor' Offers Shelter From Strict 'No Child' Targets

By Daniel de Vise
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, April 7, 2008; Page B01

Hundreds of schools in Maryland, Virginia and the District were judged to have made adequate progress last year under the No Child Left Behind Act even though they failed to meet performance targets for all groups of historically underperforming students, the requirement at the heart of the law.

The schools -- 153 in Maryland, 100 in Virginia and 11 in the District -- satisfied the law under a "safe harbor" provision. It forgives a school for low test scores from one or more subgroups if those students show yearly improvement and if the school scores well on the whole.

The extent to which schools rely on the provision illustrates the challenge posed by the No Child Left Behind law, which requires that poor and minority students meet the same performance goals as the overall school population, with the target rising by a few points each year. In Maryland, where students are being tested this week, schools must raise proficiency rates by five points in reading and seven points in math this year to demonstrate adequate progress. Testing begins April 22 in the District and in May for most Northern Virginia schools.

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