Florida Gets Flexibility Waiver For 'No Child Left Behind'

The U.S. Department of Education has approved Florida's request for a flexibility waiver from No Child Left Behind mandates.

The state sought the waiver to eliminate the duplication and confusion of having separate state and federal accountability systems for the law that aims to have all students proficient in reading and math by 2014.

Aligning our resources with our needs will lead to continued performance improvement for all students throughout Florida as we work to increase standards and boost national and international competitiveness, Florida Education Commissioner Gerald Robinson stated in a release. Approval of our request, however, is but one step in a process required to move forward with the flexibility waiver.

President Obama announced last fall that he would allow states to remove themselves from some of the federal standards, after Congress made no movement toward reauthorizing the law.

Florida is one of 10 states to get the waivers. Another 28 states, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, are expected to also apply.

The following release is from the Florida Department of Education:

TALLAHASSEE The U.S. Department of Education today approved Floridas request for a flexibility waiver from the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Florida was one of 11 states asking for flexibility with regard to accountability standards mandated by the No Child Left Behind legislation implemented in 2001. The state requested the waiver to be able to move to a single statewide accountability system that would eliminate duplicative regulation and make Floridas system easier to understand.

Florida was one of the first states to implement strong accountability measures for its schools, said Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson. Overlaying a federal accountability system atop what was already in place and working in our state has proven to be confusing for parents and stakeholders.

Commissioner Robinson added that flexibility would strengthen the states ability to tailor its program to meet Floridas unique educational needs and better align state and federal accountability systems into one cohesive, easy-to-understand structure.

Aligning our resources with our needs will lead to continued performance improvement for all students throughout Florida as we work to increase standards and boost national and international competitiveness, said Commissioner Robinson. Approval of our request, however, is but one step in a process required to move forward with the flexibility waiver.

Florida applied for the waiver in mid-November 2011 and the U.S. Department of Education requested additional information in December. The State Board of Education will take action related to components of the waiver at its February meeting.