State Superintendent Janet Barresi told members of the State Board of Education Wednesday that Oklahoma could be facing stricter federal regulation if the state loses its extension of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).
State Department of Education staff filed a request for extension of the flexibility waiver beyond the 2013-2014 school year earlier this month.
The waiver is the Obama administration’s exemption from many of the mandates of the No Child Left Behind Act, which was first granted to Oklahoma in 2012.
The waiver relieves Oklahoma from 13 federal regulations under NCLB. The waiver provides districts latitude to decide how best to fund programs meeting needs, Barresi said.
If the U.S. Department of Education rejects the waiver, 20 percent of school districts’ Title I funds will have to go to school choice, Barresi said.
Additionally, every Oklahoma student would need to score proficiently or meet an exemption in student performance testing. If that is not met, that school would be labeled as failing.
