Oklahoma has less than two weeks before approaching its deadline for an extension of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) flexibility beyond the 2013-2014 school year, state officials say.
The waiver is the Obama administration’s flexibility from many of the mandates of the No Child Left Behind Act. If not approved to extend flexibility, the state would transition back to ESEA, which could put the state under more strenuous federal restrictions.
Oklahoma’s potential waiver loss comes after lawmakers passed a bill to repeal the Common Core state standards in English Language Arts and Mathematics. The bill, signed by Gov. Mary Fallin, earlier this year, directs the state to revert back to prior academic standards known as PASS during the four-year transition period before adoption of new standards.
The new standards are to be developed by the State Department of Education in conjunction with higher education and CareerTech. In the meantime, the Regents for Higher Education are to certify the PASS standards as college and career ready so the state may have the opportunity to receive an extension of the No Child Left Behind waiver for the upcoming school year.
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