Elementary & Secondary Education Act Waiver
Current Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Website
Archived ESEA Waiver information is below.
2015 Waiver Renewal
The United States Department of Education renewed approval of Florida’s ESEA Flexibility request on August 21, 2015. This renewal extends Florida’s ESEA Flexibility Waiver through the end of the 2015-16 school year. View renewal request (PDF).
The amended application includes several changes to reflect Florida’s current direction. The application is revised to include Florida’s implementation of the Florida Standards and our high quality assessment to measure student’s mastery of the standards. The application is also amended to reflect additional information about Florida’s new school grading system and to reflect updated student performance information. The application also includes information about a new designation that A schools may earn when they close achievement gaps among subgroups.
Finally, the revised flexibility application includes language that revises the provisions related to Priority and Focus Schools and is updated to reflect the current processes related to differentiated accountability.
In addition, other provisions throughout the application are updated to reflect current practice.
Florida's Flexibility Request
- Florida's Federal list of Priority and Focus Schools (Excel)
- Notice of Intent - Classification of ESE Centers as Alternative Schools (PDF)
- Frequently Asked Questions about School Grade Modifications and the ESEA Waiver (Word)
- Commissioner Robinson talks about School Grade Modifications and the ESEA Waiver (WMV)
- Audio version of the Commissioner's Statement (WMV)
- Letter from US Dept. of Education Clarifying Inclusion Conditions of Flexibility Waiver, Feb. 27, 2012 (PDF)
- Waiver Approval Letter from U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan (PDF)
- Florida's Final ESEA Waiver Application (PDF)
- Flexibility Request Submitted January 31, 2012 (PDF)
- Flexibility Request Submitted November 14, 2011 (PDF)
- Appendix (PDF)
- Proposal Overview (PowerPoint)
- Proposal Summary (Word)
From U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan - Sept. 23, 2011: Many of our reform efforts to help students were not anticipated when the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) was enacted. While NCLB helped states and district increase the accountability for groups of high-need students, it inadvertently encouraged some states to set low academic standards, failed to recognize or reward growth in student learning, and did little to elevate the teaching profession or recognize the most effective teachers. Instead of fostering progress and accelerating academic improvement, many NCLB requirements have unintentionally become barriers to state and local implementation of reforms designed to raise academic achievement.
This web page contains various resources and documents that will provide you with more information about the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and the various deadlines associated with the waiver application.
- Letter from U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan
- Commissioner Robinson's Blog: A Waiver for Clarity
- ESEA Flexibility (Word)
- ESEA Flexibility Request (Word)
- ESEA Flexibility Review Guidance (Word)
- Frequently Asked Questions (Word)
- Overview Presentation to Florida State Board of Education (PDF) - Oct. 18, 2011
Commissioner's Taskforce on Inclusion and Accountability
- Commissioner's Taskforce on Inclusion and Accountability Recommendations - March 26, 2012 (PDF)
- Subcommittee on English Language Learners Conference Call - July 30, 2012 (Audio only) (WMV)
- Subcommittee on Students with Disabilities Conference Call - July 27, 2012 (Audio only) (WMV)
- Subcommittee on Exceptional Student Education Conference Call - July 27, 2012 (Audio only) (WMV)
- Five Recommendations: Commissioner's Taskforce on Inclusion and Accountability - May 8, 2012 (PDF)
- Recommendations that Can be Implemented by Rulemaking or Policy Changes - May 8, 2012 (PDF)
- Recommendations that Need Approval by USDOE - May 8, 2012 (PDF)
- Recommendations Requiring Statutory Changes - May 8, 2012 (PDF)
- Recommendations that Need USDOE Agreement - April 9, 2012 (PDF)
- Recommendations that Have Implementation Impediments Such as Statutory Change Needed - April 9, 2012 (PDF)
- Commissioner's Taskforce on Inclusion and Accountability Meets in Orlando
- Background Material for Taskforce (Word)
- Commissioner's Remarks - Task Force on Inclusion and Accountability March 23, 2012 (General Session) (WMV)
- Subcommittee on Exceptional Student Education
- Subcommittee on Exceptional Student Education Breakout Session Video - March 23, 2012 (part 1) (WMV)
- Subcommittee on Exceptional Student Education Breakout Session Video - March 23, 2012 (part 2) (WMV)
- Subcommittee on Exceptional Student Education Breakout Session Video - March 23, 2012 (part 3) (WMV)
- Subcommittee on English Language Learners
- Subcommittee on English Language Learners Breakout Session Video - March 23, 2012 (part 1) (WMV)
- Subcommittee on English Language Learners Breakout Session Video - March 23, 2012 (part 2) (WMV)
- Subcommittee on English Language Learners Breakout Session Video - March 23, 2012 (part 3) (WMV)
- Subcommittee on English Language Learners Breakout Session Video - March 23, 2012 (part 4) (WMV)
- Subcommittee on Students with Disabilities
- Subcommittees Present and Taskforce Develops Final Recommendations (WMV)
- Subcommittee on Exceptional Student Education
- Commissioner's Task Force on Inclusion and Accountability March 22, 2012 (General Session) (WMV)
- Subcommittee on Exceptional Student Education Breakout Session Video - March 22, 2012 (WMV)
- Subcommittee on English Language Learners Breakout Session Video - March 22, 2012 (WMV)
- Subcommittee on Students with Disabilities Breakout Session Video - March 22, 2012 (WMV)
- Subcommittees Report to the Taskforce with Q&A - March 22, 2012 (WMV)
- Subcommittee on Exceptional Student Education Conference Call March 16, 2012 (Audio only) (WMV)
- Subcommittee on English Language Learners Conference Call March 15, 2012 (Audio only) (WMV)
- Subcommittee on Students with Disabilities Conference Call, March 14, 2012 (Audio only) (WMV)
- Commissioner's Taskforce on Inclusion and Accountability Conference Call, March 9, 2012 (Audio only) (WMV)
You'll find more information on our website related to potential changes in school accountability, including a link to resources from a Board of Education workshop about school grades under different scenarios and information from the February 28 board meeting where the board took action on the flexibility waiver.