SDE: Leadership Post - NCLB Waiver

OK State Dept of Ed sent this bulletin at 02/13/2012 01:37 PM CST

Oklahoma's ESEA Flexibility Request (NCLB Waiver) Approved

Read the full Press Release. View the press conference.

Oklahoma is one of the first states in the nation to gain flexibility from federal restrictions under No Child Left Behind (NCLB), providing the state with an opportunity to move forward quickly with its own reforms.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has said that flexibility is being offered to states from NCLB in exchange for comprehensive plans to raise standards; to create fair, flexible and focused accountability systems; and to improve systems for teacher and principal evaluation and support — all components of Oklahoma’s plan.

“This is a game changer,” said State Superintendent Janet Barresi. “We now have added urgency to press ahead with implementation of reforms and a chance to help schools in our state improve. Having this flexibility will empower Oklahoma teachers to focus on each individual student and their growth. No Child Left Behind was a positive bipartisan reform that brought focus to accountability and rigor, and now it’s time to take the next step. With today’s announcement, no longer will schools in Oklahoma struggle to meet artificial goals. Instead we can focus on effective instruction in the classroom.”

Opportunities to Learn More About Oklahoma's ESEA Flexibility Request

Read the approved ESEA Flexibility Request. See Overviews here and here.

Watch an informational video that will highlight the basic features of the approved ESEA Flexibility Request (available here) or read an overview of the request here.

Participate in a live Webinar via WebEx on Monday, February 20, 2012, @ 1:30. Click here to register (select upcoming).

Attend a live Videoconference on Monday, March 5 or Friday, March 9, 2012 @ 1:30. Click here to register.

What This Means for Oklahoma Schools

Oklahoma schools will be provided the opportunity to focus on the growth of each individual child, rather than artificial expectations set by federal statutes. Waiver approval is built on the foundation of the Oklahoma C3 Plan, which is designed to ensure students in the state are college, career and citizen ready by the time they graduate.

Implementation of the waiver will rely on several major reforms:

An Effective Teacher in Every Classroom, An Effective Leader in Every School
Rewarding success and fostering improvement through identification of Reward, Priority, Focus, and Targeted Intervention Schools
3rd Grade Graduation
A-F Performance Grades for Schools
Achieving Classroom Excellence (ACE)
Implementation of the Oklahoma C3 Standards, including the Common Core

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