A draft proposal of a No Child Left Behind waiver was posted on the website of the Florida Department of Education on Tuesday.
The state plans to ask permission to stop using some of the federal programs mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act passed in 2001. The due date for Florida’s application is Nov. 14.
The idea is to streamline the various state and federal accountability programs into one system based on school grades. As it stands now, Florida is juggling federal programs designed to track student progress and help struggling schools and its own accountability systems. At times, the different standards between the two has caused immense confusion for students and parents, such as when a school has improved from an “F” to a “C” school but still is at risk for being shut down under the federal standards.
“Florida proposes to move to one accountability system that will be clearly understood by the people of Florida,” the application notes.
