Zais calls waiver once-in-a-generation opportunity

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — State schools Superintendent Mick Zais says a waiver from key provisions of the No Child Left Behind law provides a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform education in South Carolina.

The U.S. Education Department announced Thursday that it has approved waiver applications from South Carolina and five other states, plus the District of Columbia. The 32 states now granted waivers are exempt from the law’s requirements that all students must score proficient in math and reading by 2014.

South Carolina’s waiver includes replacing the federal law’s all-or-nothing accountability system for schools with one that awards letter grades for performance and gives credit for progress. Zais says that flexibility creates a more understandable rating system.

Other changes include evaluating teachers based on student performance and other measures by the 2014-15 school year.