President Obama is giving states the chance to opt out of certain provisions of the No Child Left Behind act.  Mary Fergus, with the Illinois State Board of Education says they're still considering whether they'll take advantage of the opportunity. 

[audio:rddNCLB2.mp3]A Word From Fergus[/audio]

Fergus adds opting out will help get rid of the biggest pressures of NCLB.

[audio:rddNCLB4.mp3]A Word From Fergus[/audio]

New standards emphasize how to apply the learned concepts in real life situations.  Fergus says many of the state's schools are considered some of the best in the best in the nation, turning out highly qualified students but even that's not always enough for the school to meet the annual NCLB standards.  She says reauthorization of the law is long overdue.  It was supposed to be reauthorized in 2007 but was delayed as Congress focused on other, more pressing, issues.