TEA has just announced that the U.S. Department of Education that the department has approved the state’s request for renewal of flexibility from specific provisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), also known as the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, through the end of the 2015-2016 school year.
Under the terms of the approval, Texas must demonstrate how the state will ensure all school districts and charters implement teacher and principal evaluation and support systems that meet ESEA requirements.
Under key components of the state’s waiver, Texas schools are no longer designated as having met or made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). Instead of federal ratings of designations for all schools in Texas, only the lowest performing 15 percent of schools are identified as Priority or Focus Schools. Those schools are subject to a series of federally-prescribed interventions.
Additionally, Texas school districts are no longer required to set aside 20 percent of their Title I federal dollars to provide Supplemental Educational Services (SES) for students at low-performing campuses. A district is now free to use those funds on academic intervention programs it deems most effective for its students.