By Chad Lampe
Murray, KY – Kentucky's Education Commissioner is speaking out on the heels of an announcement from the U.S. Department of Education on waivers from No Child Left Behind standards. The federal government announced today it will provide a process for states to seek relief from key provisions of the law, provided that they are willing to embrace education reform. Kentucky Education Commissioner Terry Holiday says he is encouraged by the decision to move toward a waiver process. Though spokesperson Lisa Gross says the details aren't clear.
"We don't have the final guidance from the US department of education on how to actually apply for flexibility under No child left behind, but we expect that the Department of Education will be enabling states to make requests for flexibility. And what Kentucky would like to do is use its state system, rather than having to report to the state level and federal level, accountability judgment."
Commissioner Holliday is concerned about the time line for the waiver system to be ironed out. He also hopes the waiver will allow greater flexibility, but does worry it could be too prescriptive. Meantime, Holliday will meet with each regional educational cooperative and other stakeholder groups to gain additional input on the potential changes. Additional information on Kentucky's proposed public school/district accountability model found here: http://www.education.ky.gov/NR/rdonlyres/2337DBF5-BCDF-4EAB-B17D-582B90771D11/0/071511AccountabilityModelWhitePaper.pdf