This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
As federal lawmakers work to replace the No Child Left Behind Act, Utah has again gotten a waiver from the controversial education law.
The state Office of Education announced Thursday that its requested one-year waiver extension had been accepted by the U.S. Department of Education.
Utah first received a waiver from No Child Left Behind in 2012. That exemption allowed the state to develop its own school accountability system and avoid diverting funds to federally mandated turnaround strategies for failing schools.
Because of annually increasing performance thresholds, virtually every school in Utah is failing under the provisions of No Child Left Behind.
Utah's latest waiver application included new language asserting the state's sovereignty in overseeing its public education system — a statement made by a changing school board in response to perceptions the federal government is reaching too far into local schools.
"The State Board of Education is committed to maintaining state control over standards, assessment and accountability of our schools," board Chairman David Crandall said in a prepared statement. "We are pleased with the decision from the Department of Education to waive the obsolete requirements of No Child Left Behind while preserving our autonomy and flexibility to improve the capacity, quality and equity of public education in Utah."
Utah's current wavier extends through the 2015-2016 school year. The school board had the option of requesting a three-year extension, but concerns about the constitutionality of the waivers and a lack of support among Utah lawmakers prompted board members to trim their request.
Both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives have passed bills to replace No Child Left Behind.
Last week, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan praised the Senate's Every Child Achieves Act, which passed with the bipartisan support of 81 senators.
"We need a new law that gives every child an opportunity to succeed," Duncan said. "This bill would give states more flexibility from one-size-fits-all federal mandates and reduce the burden of testing on classroom time, while ensuring that parents and educators know how students are doing every year."