Education Leaders Withdraw ESEA Flexibility Waiver Application - KXNet - Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

After months of working on an application to opt out of No Child Left Behind standards, state education leaders say the terms needed to do so--are worth leaving behind.

On Friday, Kirsten Baesler says the Department of Public Instruction officially withdrew its application for the Elementary and Secondary Education Act flexibility waiver.

The waiver would release states from NCLB standards in exchange for state-developed plans.

A committee of educational leaders first applied for the waiver in September of last year.

But after months of trying to meet an agreement with the Department of Education-- Baesler says it isn't worth any more of their time.

She says the key issue of disagreement is over the number of non-proficient students needed to be reduced over a six year period of time.

North Dakota requested 25 percent in its application.

The Department of Education would not give on the goal of 50 percent.

Baesler says it's time to put the authority to educate back in the hands of the state.

"North Dakotans believe on setting realistic and attainable goals and providing support. On the other hand, the U.S. Department of Education is firm in its belief that the bar must be set high, even if that high bar is quite likely to cause a sense of hopelessness and futility for those asked to achieve it." says Kirsten Baesler, Dept. of Public Instruction Superintendent.

By withdrawing-- Baesler says the state will continue to operate under existing No Child Left Behind ESEA regulations, and that more school districts will likely fall into Program Improvement Status.

She says the plan is to work with those schools and to ask Congressional leaders to re-authorize an improved elementary and secondary education act as soon as possible.