Ohio seeks education relief
The Columbus Dispatch - February 29, 2012 03:21 PM
Ohio is among 26 new states and the District of Columbia which asked federal regulators to waive key provisions of President George W. Bush's 2001 No Child Left Behind law.
Ohio submitted its formal request today to the U.S. Department of Education, promising to adhere to rigorous standards and accountability measures for both students and teachers in exchange for relief from the federal mandates, including the requirement that all children be proficient in math and English by 2014.
Federal regulators have granted waivers to 11 other states which submitted proposals earlier this month.
"No Child Left Behind actually inhibited schools by its focus on minimums instead of helping more students gain the knowledge and skills they need to be successful once they graduate," Ohio Superintendent Stan Heffner said in a statement released by the Department of Education. "Getting this waiver is part of raising the bar for Ohio schools so we can remain competitive. The new accountability system will give Ohioans a more honest picture of how our schools are really performing."
Ohio's proposal focuses improving boosting student performance, closing the achievement gap and making it much easier for parents and others to assess how schools are doing.
For instance, the existing rating system of schools will be replaced with one that assigns an A-F letter grade in several areas of performance beginning with 2011-2012 report cards. And, schools would be judged on how much progress they make closing the achievement gap and no longer on how many students meet minimum requirements.
A troubled tutoring program to help students in low-performing schools also would be scrapped and districts given more flexibility on what services to offer.