Arizona granted No Child Left Behind waivers

WASHINGTON (AP) — Six more states and the District of Columbia have been granted waivers from key provisions of the Bush-era No Child Left Behind law.

The Education Department will announce Thursday that Arizona, Kansas, Michigan, Mississippi, Oregon and South Carolina, along with Washington, D.C., are being exempt from some of the law’s most rigorous requirements.

All told, 32 states have now been granted waivers; four others have outstanding requests.

States granted waivers will be exempt from the law’s requirement that all students be proficient in math and reading by 2014 — a goal the nation is still far from reaching. In its place, the Education Department has approved state plans aimed at improving low-performing schools, increasing teacher efficiency and preparing students for college and careers.