The House on Wednesday voted to reauthorize the No Child Left Behind law. The bill narrowly passed 218-213 and Missouri’s congressional delegation voted along party lines, with Republicans voting in support of the proposal and Democrats voting against it.

The U.S. Senate is expected to debate the issue this week. Senator McCaskill says the 2002 law needs major changes.

Senator Claire McCaskill (D-Missouri)

Senator Claire McCaskill (D-Missouri)

“We are making major changes to that legislation because we’ve learned that No Child Left Behind doesn’t work as it was intended to work.”

Reading and math tests would continue to be a part of the law, but would allow states, instead of the federal government, to decide how to use assessments to measure performance. The proposal would also prohibit federal requirements on a specific set of academic standards.

Senator McCaskill says she supports the concept that the bill represents.

“We’ve got to get away from the underperforming schools being starved and this notion that one size fits all in terms of testing.”

If Congress finds a compromise, it’s unknown if the President will sign the legislation. Obama has expressed opposition to both the House and Senate bills.