The Hawaii Department of Education (DOE), filed its application for Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) flexibility on Sept. 6 with the U.S. Department of Education (USDE). If the application is approved, it will approve ongoing efforts to raise expectation for students and better support educations, more accurately and fairly identify schools; strengths and areas for improvement, target interventions and support strategies to reward high-performing schools and address areas for school improvement and support effective instruction and leadership. The ESEA flexibility will be implemented for the 2013-14 school year.

“The USDE has offered each state educational agency this voluntary opportunity to request flexibility regarding specific requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001,” the DOE stated in a news release, “in exchange for rigorous and comprehensive state-developed plans designed to improve educational outcomes for all students, close achievement gaps, increase equity, and improve the quality of instruction.”

ESEA flexibility would change how teachers are being evaluated and part of it, according to Dr. Ali, principal, will be growth in student learning. There would be a greater accountability of teachers.

“The standards and benchmarks will not change,” Dr. Ali said. “What will change is that there will be other factors, not just test scores to assess if a school meets annual yearly progress (AYP).”