Schools districts across the nation are preparing to apply for waivers from certain provisions of the federal No Child Left Behind Law. Pella Schools Superintendent Greg Ebeling says a waiver would offer schools flexibility in raising student achievement to proficient levels. He says under the current system, it’s only a matter of time before nearly every district will be labeled as in need of assistance, a mark no district wants to see.

Knoxville Superintendent Dr. Randy Flack says that the waivers an appropriate way to point out the flaws in the original legislation. He says the system doesn’t take into account the ability of some of the subgroups. It asks some students to make too progressive of jumps of three or four grade levels that they just aren’t capable of. Flack says Iowa schools still need to have accountability, and he expects that to be part of Secretary Glass’s plan. Flack says he feels there needs to be a variety of assessments that show student growth, and not just the Iowa Test of Basic Skills or Test of Educational Development.