And you mean what?

There is so much rhetorical sloppiness swirling around NCLB right now, it is impossible to know what anyone is talking about. Duncan complains that the current law is too prescriptive, but comments indicate new approaches that are even moreso. He calls 100 percent proficiency a utopian goal but wants to replace it with what he says is a higher bar: career and college readiness. How to judge that students are college-ready if not by giving them a test and seeing if 100 percent pass it? You’re awarded money if you make progress, and money if you’re failing. Joanne Jacobs sums some of it up.

What I take out of all the pieces written in the last week is that—aside from a growth model, which we all knew was coming—we really have no idea what the administration wants exactly. Not sure if this is the fault of the administration (for not being sure, or clear), other insiders (for not passing on clearly what they have learned), journalists, or all of the above.