Washington state step closer to being rid of No Child Left Behind law
by The Associated Press
SEATTLE — Washington state has taken another step toward saying goodbye to the federal No Child Left Behind law.
In July, the U.S. Department of Education gave Washington a conditional waiver from some requirements of the federal education law, including the need for every child to pass statewide reading and math tests by 2014.
On Wednesday, state education officials mailed an update on their progress toward meeting those conditions and on Thursday had a conversation with U.S. Department of Education officials.
Nothing is final, but state officials are optimistic the state will climb all the steps required by the federal government.
More than 30 states have been granted waivers, and Washington is one of a handful that still needs to fulfill some conditions to make its waiver permanent.
All the waivers are considered a temporary measure while U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan continues to work with Congress to rewrite the No Child Left Behind law.
The two conditions of Washington state's waiver included finishing development of a
