Arizona, Kansas, Michigan, Mississippi, Oregon, South Carolina and Washington, D.C., were granted flexibility from key provisions of the controversial law, according to approval letters posted on the U.S. Department of Education's website.
To receive a waiver, states must commit to various reforms outlined by the White House, such as setting new student achievement goals and developing plans for intervening at struggling schools. In exchange, they are relieved from some of NCLB's more onerous requirements, particularly that 100 percent of students be proficient in math and reading by 2014.
Five more states have applications pending with the department, and at least four others have indicated they will apply for a waiver by the next deadline, Sept. 6.
The waiver program was initiated last fall by the Obama administration, as NCLB reauthorization bills failed to gain traction in Congress. The law has been due for reauthorization since 2007.
Governing is tracking the NCLB waiver process in the map below.
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Application approved |
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Application approval pending |
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Intend to submit application |
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No application submitted |
NOTE: Alaska has not submitted an application and Hawaii intends to submit one. Information is current as of July 2012.
