MADISON (WXOW) -- State Superintendent Tony Evers confirms Wisconsin earned a waiver from some parts of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. Evers says the U.S. Department of Education approved the request Wisconsin submitted.
The state submitted an Elementary and Secondary Education Act Flexibility Request in February and has been working with the federal agency since mid-April to come up with details of the plan. Evers says, "Wisconsin's NCLB waiver is an ambitious education reform package. We are setting higher expectations for students, educators, and schools with a clear focus on our graduates being college and career ready.
"Our reform agenda will change academic standards, instructional practices, and assessments; it will more accurately and meaningfully assess and report how our schools are doing; it will recognize schools that are doing well at educating students and closing achievement gaps and will provide support for those schools that need to do better; and it will provide a fair, performance-based evaluation system to ensure students have effective teachers. This reform agenda is based on college and career ready expectations, increased academic rigor, and a multiple measures approach to assessment and accountability for students and schools.
"Many parts of our ESEA waiver are works in progress that will continue to be phased in over the coming years. The first product from our reform agenda, the impact of redefining what it means to be proficient on statewide Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examination results, will be ready for school districts and the media in July.
"Development of our waiver has involved hundreds of educators, policymakers, parents, and other education stakeholders. It has been a pleasure working with these various groups, including the School and District Accountability Design Team and my fellow co-chairs Governor Walker, Representative Kestell, and Senator Olsen."
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MADISON (WXOW) -- Wisconsin is expected to earn a waiver from the federal "No Child Left Behind" law. The New York Times reports the announcement will come Friday from the U.S. Department of Education.
The agency will announce Friday two more states have won their bid to be relieved of some requirements from the federal education law, Wisconsin and Washington.
Twenty-four other states have already earned waivers. The waivers are considered a temporary measure while Education Secretary Arne Duncan continues to work with Congress to rewrite the law.
Schools and districts that get a waiver must promise to set new targets aimed at preparing students for colleges and careers. They also have to tether evaluations of teachers and schools in part to student achievement on standardized tests.
