Florida Seeks a Waiver
July 20, 2017
Florida is seeking a waiver from “several fundamental portions of ESSA that dictate how schools handle some of the country’s most historically underperforming and disadvantaged students.” The state is “asking, among other things, that it not be required to judge schools based on how well English-learners perform on language proficiency exams.” The state is also pushing back on a requirement that “proficiency exams [be given] in students’ native language” since that violates Florida’s constitution, which declares English as the state’s official language.