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Map: 26 More States Apply for NCLB Waivers

Another 26 states plus the District of Columbia have sought waivers from certain requirements of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), according to the U.S. Department of Education, as the second submission window for applications ended Tuesday.

Another 26 states (plus the District of Columbia) have sought waivers from certain requirements of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), according to the U.S. Department of Education, as the second submission window for applications ended Tuesday.

They join the 11 states that received approval for their applications submitted in December, seeking waivers from some of the law’s provisions that are widely seen as unrealistic. Most notably, states that receive waivers are exempt from the requirement that 100 percent of students be proficient in math and reading by 2014.

States that receive waivers commit to policies outlined by the White House, such as: setting new student performance targets, developing intervention plans to aid struggling students and schools, having flexibility to measure student growth beyond test scores and receiving more leeway in how they spent federal funding.

Thirteen states (Alabama, Alaska, California, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Texas, West Virginia, Wyoming) have not submitted waivers. The Education Department has set a Sept. 6 deadline for a third round of applications.

Peer reviewers will meet next month to evaluate the applications; states can expect to receive a decision sometime this spring, according to the department.

The waivers are a stop-gap policy initiated by the Obama administration until Congress fully reauthorizes the federal education law. Bills have passed out of committee in both the House and the Senate, but some important differences remain. It remains to be seen if the two chambers can agree on legislation during a politically charged election year.

The map below denotes where states are in the waiver process: application submitted, approved; application submitted, pending approval; and no application submitted.



 
 
Application approved
 
Application approval pending
 
Intend to submit application
 
No application submitted


NOTE: Alaska has not submitted an application and Hawaii intends to submit one. Information is current as of March 2012.

Dylan Scott is a GOVERNING staff writer.
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