Area Schools Reach for a Higher Bar On State Tests

By Daniel de Vise
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, November 27, 2008; Page A01

Half of elementary students in Northern Virginia and a third in the Maryland counties that surround Washington are scoring at the highest levels on state tests in reading and math, blowing past the goals of the No Child Left Behind law.

The finding, based on a Washington Post analysis, suggests that area schools have ambitions beyond the federal education mandate and don't need the threat of sanctions to reach them. It could also allay fears among some parents and academics that the 2002 law would dumb down public education by forcing schools to focus on low achievers.

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