18 States Get NCLB Waiver Extension, Indiana Continues To Wait

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Indiana applied for an extension to its No Child Left Behind waiver at the end of June.

The U.S. Department of Education announced Thursday No Child Left Behind waiver renewals for five states, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi North Carolina and Wisconsin, but Indiana is still waiting to hear about the fate of its waiver.

The U.S. Department of Education wrote in a statement Thursday:

In order to receive an extension, states must demonstrate that they have resolved any state-specific issues and next steps as a result of the Department’s monitoring, as well as any other outstanding issues related to ESEA flexibility. States could also request additional amendments to support their continuous improvement efforts.

Indiana was notified by the USDE in May its waiver was at risk, the department citing academic standards and assessments among its major concerns. The Indiana Department of Education submitted a plan June 30 outlining how the states new academic standards and assessment plan would satisfy the federal government’s requirements to keep the waiver. The USDE originally said we would hear whether the state received a waiver extension at the end of July.

43 states and the District of Columbia have waivers from No Child Left Behind requirements, and 35 of those expired this summer. 31 states applied for an extension, and so far the USDE approved that extension for 18 states. Washington state is the only state so far to have its waiver revoked.