I almost spit out my Cheerios this morning after reading a quote from a U.S. Department of Education (ED) official in this Dallas Norning News article (yes, I now eat the same food as my son).  The article describes how ED rebuffed Texas' effort to adjust its state accountability plan because it allegedly "eliminated 10 percent of the state's students from the No Child Left Behind accountability system."  Catherine Freeman from ED is quoted as saying, "What they submitted to us would result in the exclusion of more students.  We obviously don't look favorably on that." Right.  And I'm Halle Barry.  That quote, my friends, does not pass the laugh test. ED has, in fact, granted waivers and accepted state accountability plans that result in the exclusion of students.

I appreciate what Kevin Carey is trying to do with the Pangloss Index, expose how states are "gaming" their accountability systems.  And, I know that Ed Sector and Ed Trust see themselves as fighting the evil state departments of education, preserving world peace, leaping buildings in a single bound, etc. while we union hacks are just defending the status quo.  OK, fine, I'll be the bad guy.  But really, why shouldn't Texas or any other state get the same deal that another state got from ED? I mean, shouldn't there be ONE standard for setting the minimum subgroup size, using confidence intervals, etc.?