PPT Slide
We examined how two states, Wisconsin and Illinois, have grappled with defining adequate yearly progress (Wisconsin) and the transitional measure of progress (Illinois). Neither state is considered the "best" state in the country by experts tracking school reform. Nor is either state considered the "furthest behind" in the race toward better schools.
Two things are striking about these examples, and neither is particular to the state chosen: First, these states have ignored the requirements that states ensure schools are moving toward an end-date by which time all students will meet standards, and that schools not doing so are identified as in need of improvement. Second, the states have taken the inherent flexibility provided in Title I's framework for accountability and used it in such a way that it no longer resembles the original intent of the law.