State Board of Education to consider accepting 1-year NCLB waiver

The State Board of Education and Early Development will consider a regulation at its July 24 meeting to allow implementation of a federal No Child Left Behind waiver.

The waiver from the U.S. Department of Education would allow Alaska schools and districts in school year 2011-12 to use adequate yearly progress proficiency targets from the 2010-11 school year.

Defined as goals for the percentage of students who score proficient or above on state assessments in language arts and mathematics, Alaska’s proficiency targets were scheduled to increase for the 2011-12 school year.

The U.S. Department of Education’s waiver for Alaska would allow the state to freeze the proficiency targets for one year. The result is that more schools and districts will make adequate yearly progress than if the proficiency targets had increased.

Meanwhile, Alaska will continue to prepare an application due Sept. 6 for a comprehensive waiver in which the state would implement its own system of accountability for schools and districts, subject to some federal requirements.

Adequate yearly progress for Alaska schools is set to be released in August.