Twenty U.S. states seeking to alter the way student progress is measured under the No Child Behind Act have been granted a federal review into the matter.
The U.S. Education Department approved the study at a time when the number of schools deemed substandard under the law is growing by the thousands, the New York Times reports.
The requested changed would allow states to judge schools by tracking the progress of individual students over time.
As it now stands, schools must show improvement in successive grades, with more of this year's fifth graders, for example, proficient at reading and math compared with last year's fifth graders.
The states that have applied to make the changes for the current school year are Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee and Utah.
Maryland, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania and South Dakota have asked to make changes next year.
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