The state department of elementary and secondary education says it wants to file for a waiver from parts of the No Child Left Behind Act for the 2012 school year.

Vandeven says even though Missouri school’s test scores are improving, they’re not meeting the standards of No Child Left Behind. The law puts Missouri on track to improve eight percent each year in the number of students who are proficient in standardized test scores.

She says if the state gets a waiver, there will be different ways of measuring progress that don’t punish the whole school for one area that needs improvement.

Another difference would be in the way teachers are evaluated. But the emphasis on college and career readiness would stay the same.

She says this does not decrease the accountability the state has for education. She says though the exact standards haven’t been established, Missouri will use its own formula to measure progress.

She says the next step is public hearings to make sure school districts and the public want the waiver. After that, Missouri will apply for a waiver after the federal government gives further guidelines in September. Several other states have already applied for a waiver.