President Obama wants to overhaul the No Child Left Behind education law.

The White House is sending a new set of guidelines to Congress that will move away from focusing on grade-level profiency to making sure students are ready for college or a job and broaden the focus beyond math and reading to a well-rounded education.

"The previous law was too punitive, too prescriptive, and led to a lowering - a dumbing down - of standards that led to a narrowing of curriculum. We have to reverse all that, " says Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education

Duncan says they also want to help low-performing schools lower their drop-out rate.

The administration hopes Congress will pass the measure this year.