Without waivers, every student must be proficient in math and reading by 2014 -- or else states could forfeit some federal funding.
Last week, President Barack Obama granted waivers to ten states: Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, New Jersey and Minnesota. Only one state that had applied did not get a waiver, but AP reported that New Mexico is reportedly working with the administration to fix that.
Before applying for waivers, states must commit to creating and implementing new evaluation systems for teachers and principals that give more weight to student achievenment -- something Washington lawmakers are in the process of doing, reports AP.
Washington state Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn will announce plans for NCLB waivers on Wednesday, reports AP.