Wisconsin given waiver on No Child Left Behind

The federal government has approved Wisconsin’s waiver to exempt the state from the No Child Left Behind law.

The U.S. Department of Education granted waivers to both Wisconsin and the state of Washington today, bringing the total number of states that are exempt from parts of the law to 26.

The law would have required all students in Wisconsin to pass statewide reading and math tests by 2014. “In the past with No Child Left Behind it was kind of a pass/fail system,” says state school superintendent Tony Evers. “And if you failed you were deemed a failure and eventually all schools would have been in that category.”

Under the waiver, Wisconsin will move to a new accountability system that will score schools based on graduation rates, student acheivement, and achievement gaps. Evers says the state will intervene at low performing schools to improve instruction. And he says they’ll use best practices from top performing schools in the state. “That’s the good thing about this system,” he says. “It’s no longer pass/ fail. And it’s no longer punitive; it’s about being supportive. And it’s about standing behind schools that are struggling and making sure our top performing schools are recognized and those good programs are shared across the state of Wisconsin.”

As part of the waiver, Wisconsin will also develop new teacher and principal evaluations and raise the proficiency level on state tests.

In a news release, Governor Scott Walker applauded the approval of the Wisconsin’s waiver request.