AUSTIN, Texas - Texas says it will seek a waiver from the U.S. Department of Education to avoid federal accountability standards imposed by the No Child Left Behind law.
Texas had been one of several large states nationwide not to seek reprieve from some mandates of the law. Education officials said they were reluctant because they feared the federal government might eventually impose a national curriculum.
But the Texas Education Agency posted notice online Thursday saying it intends to seek the waiver. The decision comes just five days after new education commissioner Michael Williams took his post.
Recent state statistics showed that nearly half of Texas' public and charter schools failed to meet No Child Left Behind accountability standards, which are getting progressively more rigorous annually.
That's a sharp increase from previous years.
