Public Comment Period Open For No Child Left Behind Waiver
December 19, 2011
COLUMBIA,SC – December 19, 2011 – State Superintendent ofEducation Mick Zais announced a period of public comment regarding thestate’s intent to request flexibility from certain requirement of theElementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), commonly called No ChildLeft Behind. Dr. Zais announced his intention to seek flexibility onOctober 10, 2011 in a letter to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.
State Superintendent of Education Mick Zais said, This opportunity for flexibility from certain federal requirements is long overdue. It willgive South Carolina schools the tools to personalize and customizeeducation for every student, to modernize the state’s accountabilitysystem increasing its transparency while maintaining high standards, tofairly evaluate and recognize the effectiveness of teachers andprincipals, and reduce the number of regulations on schools so they canfocus on their most important mission: teaching students and preparingthem for life. I strongly encourage every student, parent, teacher,principal, and taxpayer to review the waiver request and offer theirideas.
The State’s waiver request is available online: http://ed.sc.gov/agency/lpa/ESEAFlexibility.cfm. There is an online comment form allowing anyone to share their thoughts and ideas from today until January 23, 2011.
During November, Dr. Zais and the agency held a series of meetings with key stakeholders to explain the process for the request and thecomponents required by Secretary Duncan. In addition, the SouthCarolina Department of Education will hold a series of communitystakeholder meetings across the state in January. The full schedulewill be announced as soon as locations for all meetings are reserved. The State will submit its request for flexibility by February 21, 2012.
On September 23, 2011, Secretary Duncan announced a process by whichStates could request flexibility from certain federal requirements. Inreturn for this flexibility, States must agree to four core principles:
- College and career ready expectations for all students
- State-developed differentiated recognition, accountability, and support
- Supporting effective instruction and leadership
- Reducing duplication and unnecessary burden
For more information about the process proposed by Secretary Duncan, visit: http://www.ed.gov/esea/flexibility.
