Iowa to opt out of No Child Left Behind

DES MOINES (AP) ? Iowa Department of Education officials have notified their federal counterparts that the state will seek a waiver from requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

State officials have criticized the law as being too rigid and argued it relied too heavily on standardized test scores. They also said it?s one-dimensional and doesn?t accurately measure how well schools are performing.

Education Department Director Jason Glass said Iowa officials have developed their own rigorous standards and can implement them in a way that ensures students make progress each year.

Iowa officials announced details of that plan earlier this month.

Glass noted federal officials have encouraged states to seek a waiver from the federal law, as long as they develop their own systems for measuring the progress students are making. Glass said the formal waiver request will be filed in February.

The plan that Glass announced called for linking teacher pay to performance in the classroom as well as setting new testing standards for students, along with developing other methods of measuring student performance. He said measuring performance of a healthy and active child involves more than a single test score, though testing is part of the measurement.