Idaho Not Included In No Child Left Behind Waiver

Idaho has been among leading critics of the No Child Left Behind education program, but state officials will have to wait a little longer to find out if they’ll be freed from the federal law’s toughest requirements.

A list of the latest states to receive flexibility from the law was released Tuesday and did not include Idaho. The state Department of Education says that’s because Idaho is still working on its waiver application based on feedback from the federal government.

Idaho and a handful of other states spearheaded a rebellion last year against No Child Left Behind, saying the education law sets unrealistic benchmarks for public schools while also failing to accurately measure student growth.

Idaho schools chief Tom Luna wants the state to adopt its own school accountability system.