Oregon Public Broadcasting

Oregon officials will soon apply for a waiver from the controversial federal education law, No Child Left Behind.

Backers say Oregon's new approach would replace a "one-size-fits-all" punitive system for one more sensitive to Oregon's public schools.

Oregon would drop the current "pass-fail approach" -- it already lists nearly half of Oregon's schools as "failing" - with more likely to fail in the future.

Oregon proposes a growth model -- where student and school improvement is a big factor. The knock against growth models is that they aren't as tough as a strict pass-fail bar.

OPB's education reporter, Rob Manning spoke earlier Monday with the governor's education policy advisor, Ben Cannon. Cannon defends Oregon's growth approach.