ESEA Flexibility

Overview

The U.S. Department of Education is inviting each State educational agency (SEA) to request flexibility on behalf of itself, its local educational agencies, and schools, in order to better focus on improving student learning and increasing the quality of instruction. This voluntary opportunity will provide educators and State and local leaders with flexibility regarding specific requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) in exchange for rigorous and comprehensive State-developed plans designed to improve educational outcomes for all students, close achievement gaps, increase equity, and improve the quality of instruction.

News

• 26 More States and D.C. Seek Flexibility from NCLB (February 29, 2012)
• President Obama Announces States Receiving Flexibility in Exchange for Reform (February 9, 2012)
• ED Approves 10 States' Requests for ESEA Flexibility (February 9, 2012)
• ED Approves New Mexico's Request for ESEA Flexibility (February 15, 2012)
• President's Remarks on No Child Left Behind Flexibility (Sep 23, 2011)
• Press Release: Obama Administration Sets High Bar for Flexibility from NCLB in Order to Advance Equity and Support Reform (Sep 23, 2011)
• What ESEA Flexibility Means for Students, Teachers, and Parents: Answering the Public's Questions [MS Word, 55KB]
• Bringing Flexibility and Focus to Education Law: Looking Back and Moving Forward [PDF, 127KB] and Supporting State and Local Progress [PDF, 139KB]

ESEA Flexibility Requests

On February 28, 2012, 26 States and D.C. [PDF, 177KB] submitted requests for ESEA flexibility. Peer reviewers for the March 2012 review can be found here [MS Word, 39KB].

Currently, 11 States have been approved for ESEA flexibility. The list of peer reviewers for the December 2011 review is here [MS Word, 33KB].

ESEA flexibility requests and related documents are located here.

ESEA Flexibility Documents

• Letter to Chief State School Officers from Secretary Duncan
• ESEA Flexibility [MS Word, 1.8MB] | [accessible MS Word, 1.8MB]
• Updated ESEA Flexibility Request (February 10, 2012) [MS Word, 1.8MB]
• Updated ESEA Flexibility Review Guidance (February 10, 2012) [MS Word, 1.7MB]
• ESEA Flexibility FAQs [MS Word, 1.9MB] | [accessible MS Word, 1.9MB]
• ESEA Flexibility FAQs Addendum (November 10, 2011) [MS Word, 1.63MB]
• ESEA Flexibility FAQs Addendum #2 (January 5, 2012) [MS Word, 1.62MB]
• ESEA Flexibility FAQs Addendum #3 (February 10, 2012) [MS Word, 1.65MB]
• ESEA Flexibility FAQs Addendum #4 (May 7, 2012) [MS Word, 2.41MB]
• One-Year AMO Waiver Guidance (February 14, 2012) [MS Word, 51KB]
• One-Year AMO Waiver Template (February 14, 2012) [MS Word, 86KB]

Questions

If you have questions regarding ESEA Flexibility that are not answered in the attached documents, or as SEA teams you would like to schedule a time to speak with Department staff about ESEA flexibility requests, please contact us at ESEAflexibility@ed.gov.

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