Kansas School Gets “No Child Left Behind” Waiver

The federal government has granted a central Kansas school district a waiver from the federally mandated No Child Left Behind program.

The waiver from the U.S. Department of Education will let the McPherson Unified School District track student success differently than other schools around the nation.

No Child Left Behind requires that schools have 100% of students fare well on state tests by 2014.

McPherson will instead track student achievement from sixth grade through high school with standardized tests developed by the same group that administers the ACT tests.

District officials say the new benchmarks will represent higher standards for its schools.

McPherson is thought to be the first district in the nation to receive the waiver from No Child Left Behind.