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NEW YORK, NY November 14, 2006 —Getting all elementary and high school students proficient in math and reading simply isn't possible yet. That's the conclusion of a series of reports being presented this week at Columbia University's Teachers College. WNYC's Beth Fertig has more.

The federal No Child Left Behind Law requires all students to be proficient by 2014 or states risk losing federal dollars. But a slew of researchers have found some states are setting the bar too low, raising doubts about test results.

For example 35% of 4th graders in Missouri ranked at or above the proficiency level in English compared to 89% in Mississippi. And a study of New York and 3 other states found it's very difficult to establish performance standards for disabled students.

Michael Rebell, executive director of the new Campaign for Educational Equity at Teachers College, applauds the goals of the No Child Left Behind Law, but says it's time to set realistic goals that can help kids learn.

For WNYC, I’m Beth Fertig.