Senate clears way for a final vote by Thursday on an overhaul to No Child Left Behind Act

The Senate has cleared the way for a vote by Thursday on a bipartisan bill to rewrite the Bush-era No Child Left Behind education law.

Lawmakers have been considering the bill since last week. They voted Wednesday to limit additional debate on further changes to the legislation and move forward to a vote on final passage.

The bill would narrow the federal role in the nation's public schools by giving states and local school districts more control over assessing the performance of schools, teachers and students. It would keep the requirement for annual math and reading tests but prohibit the federal government from requiring or encouraging specific sets of academic standards, such as Common Core.

Senators will spend the next day discussing dozens of amendments before a final vote.