by Nathan St. Pierre ’12

The Obama administration is proposing a bill that allows states to apply for a waiver from the strict standards of the No Child Left Behind Act. Numerous states are applying for these waivers, and Maryland is strongly considering it.

This step addresses a common critique of the 2001 act, which is that teachers are forced to teach to the test so that their school meets requirements and are not denied federal money. Under No Child Left Behind, schools are expected to attain 100-percent proficiency on state standardized tests such as the HSA in Maryland by 2014. The new proposal will end this requirement for the majority of the schools, if not all of them. The new bill will continue to enforce strict educational standards like the previous act, but will allow states control in how quickly they can meet those standards.