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Official: Florida among states to get relief from No Child Left Behind

Fyi. hopefully the fcat will go away too, although it seems pretty strange to say students will not have to be proficient in math and reading.

http://http://www2.tbo.com/news/breaking-news/2012/feb/09/official-...

WASHINGTON --

The Associated Press has learned that President Barack Obama on Thursday will free Florida and nine other states from the strict requirements of the Bush-era No Child Left Behind law. The move gives long-sought leeway to states that promise to improve how they prepare and evaluate students.

A White House official says the states are Florida, Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oklahoma and Tennessee. The official says the only state that applied for but was denied the flexibility is New Mexico, which is working to get approval. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the states had not been announced.

The law requires all students to be proficient in reading and math by 2014. Obama's action strips away that requirement in exchange for a viable substitute plan.

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Permalink Reply by kimpsbl1 on February 9, 2012 at 11:30am

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/education/os-florida-no-chi...

"With the waiver, Florida schools that get federal Title I money to help educate poor children will no longer have to worry whether they are making "adequate yearly progress" under the federal law."

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Permalink Reply by DisneyMamaTo2 on February 9, 2012 at 1:19pm

Did I read that right? Did Robinson basically say that Title I schools can't achieve AYP or was that the author's bias? Either way, the implication is serious. My son attended a Title I school in Osceola county and it's now the IB school. Yet, the students that feed into the school have NOT changed or magically grown independently wealthy.

NCLB is a horrid piece of legislation that was brought about by the Bush administration. It borders unconstitutional since education is a right left to the STATES. This is why we have no national education agenda and standards vary so greatly from state to state. Just take a look what fifth graders are expected to know in math here in Florida compared to Texas or California.

We cannot compete internationally without a national agenda.

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Permalink Reply by kimpsbl1 on February 9, 2012 at 1:44pm

It sounds like one less hurdle for teachers to jump through while trying to educate students, but I'm certainly no expert. The quote from Robinson does seem like he's negative about Florida kids. I think the IB idea is fabulous, aren't IB students tested in for admission though?

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Permalink Reply by kimpsbl1 on February 9, 2012 at 6:19pm

http://http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/09/politics/states-education/?hpt...

"We've offered every state the same deal: We've said, if you're willing to set higher, more honest standards then we're going to give you the flexibility to meet those standards," Obama said.

Each of those states granted waivers Thursday offered different approaches. Massachusetts, for instance, set a goal to slash its number of underperfoming students by half within six years; Colorado is setting up a comprehensive online database of assessment measures, among other steps; and New Jersey is developing an "early warning" system in an effort to prevent students from dropping out of school.

New Mexico also requested such flexibility from the No Child Left Behind law, and the Obama administration is working closely with that state. Another 28 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia also have indicated plans to seek such flexibility, according to the White House.

"This is good news for our kids, it's good news for our country," the president said of the waivers, adding that one approach may work well in one part of the country while another may better suit another place. "If we're serious about seeing our children reach their full potential, the best ideas aren't just going to come from here in Washington."