Commissioner of Education Michael Williams has reaffirmed the goals and parameters he previously set as talks with federal officials continue regarding the state’s conditional waiver for specific provisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), commonly known as the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001.
The State of Texas secured a conditional waiver from the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) in 2013 giving the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and more than 1,200 school districts and charters relief from certain ESEA provisions. However, the waiver was granted provisionally as USDE reviewed specifics related to new teacher and principal evaluation systems in Texas.
Commissioner Williams reaffirmed his position after receiving a letter from USDE providing the first formal feedback related to the teacher and principal evaluation systems in the state’s request for ESEA flexibility.
In her letter to Commissioner Williams, U.S. Department of Education Assistant Secretary Deborah Delisle wrote: “Based on the review of Texas’ guidelines and taking into account the feedback from the expert peers, I have determined that Texas has not yet adopted guidelines for teacher and principal evaluation and support systems that meet all requirements of ESEA flexibility, nor does it have a process for ensuring that each district in Texas develops, adopts, pilots, and implements teacher and principal evaluation and support systems consistent with those guidelines as required by ESEA flexibility.”
Commissioner Williams noted that much of the feedback provided by federal officials and peer reviewers centered on items that would require either statutory changes to TEA authority or specific mandates to all school districts from the state level. While continuing talks with the USDE to gather more information and a better understanding of specific concerns, the Commissioner will also be seeking input from state leadership and education stakeholders on the potential future of the state’s waiver.
All materials related to the state’s waiver request – including the latest letter from USDE – is available for viewing on the TEA website at http://tea.texas.gov/Texas_Schools/Waivers/NCLB_Waiver_Information/.