"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) Deficit Committee's Failure Triggers Automatic Spending Cuts: Education Programs Could Face $3.5 Billion in Cuts; (2) Flex Plan: Eleven States Submit Requests for Waivers from Key NCLB Provisions; (3) "Characteristics of GED Recipients in High School: 2002-06": GED Recipients Do Not Fare as Well as High School Graduates in College, Report Finds; (4) Ace and Pearson Working to Revamp GED Test: New Test Will Be Aligned to Common Core, Serve as Assurance That Test Passers Are College and Career Ready; and (5) "Pathway to Recovery": New Report Spotlights Successful Dropout Recovery Programs, Calls for Greater Focus on Out-of-School Youths. (Contains 1 table and 1 footnote.)