June 23, 2015 5:48 PM

Feds: Texas to operate under current waiver until new application reviewed

The timeline for the rewrite of NCLB is unclear while education groups push for quick action

Editor’s note: This story has been updated throughout – SB

Education Secretary Arne Duncan on Tuesday announced the approval of new waivers for another seven states, plus the District of Columbia, and promised to continue to honor past exceptions set to expire under the No Child Left Behind Act, which includes the state of Texas.

The extension of the Texas waiver – referred to in Department of Education parlance as "flexibility" – ended with the 2014-15 school year. Texas submitted a new round of documentation at the end of session. According to the Department of Education, Texas will remain under its 2013 waiver until the application for a new multi-year waiver has been evaluated.

The new Texas application is substantially the same as an earlier version. A bill that would have substantially addressed federal concerns around the application, Sen. Kel Seliger’s Senate Bill 893, never got a hearing in the House Public Education Committee after passing the Senate in early April.

By Kimberly Reeves