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No Child Left Behind changes on the way

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On Wednesday both of New Hampshire's U.S. Senators voted to pass a reformed version of No Child Left Behind, which governs federal education funding.

The revamped program generally gives states more control over setting standards and evaluating schools. For example, the bill will allow New Hampshire to continue a pilot program that uses competency-based education instead of assessment tests to evaluate student progress.

"This bipartisan bill will return accountability and responsibility for education decisions back to where it belongs - in states, local school districts, and classrooms," said Sen. Kelly Ayotte. 

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and Ayotte also sponsored additional funding for after school STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) programs as part of the bill.

Twelve senators, all Republican, voted against the bill. They argued that the bill still allows the federal government too much control over education.

"Unfortunately, the bill passed by the Senate today does not go far enough to reform or eliminate programs that are not working, roll back flawed testing mandates, and restore local control," said Sen. Roy Blunt from Missouri. "Weighing in at more than 1,000 pages, the bill also allows for the rapid growth of K-12 spending, and authorizes new spending on additional programs." 

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