Maryland granted new three-year waiver for No Child Left Behind

Maryland State Superintendent Lillian M. Lowery

Maryland received a new three-year waiver Thursday from the Department of Education for the federal No Child Left Behind law, providing the state flexibility in meeting some of the act's strict requirements.

The decision, which extends the waiver the state first received in 2012, "allows school districts to look at accountability in a different way and spend more time making sure every student is improving instead of focusing on the bureaucratic process," said Jack Smith, chief academic officer for the Maryland State Department of Education.

Federal officials notified the state of the waiver in a letter to state schools Superintendent Lillian Lowery.

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