Arkansas has become the fifth state approved to receive the U.S. Department of Education’s “Returning Education to the States” waiver, a federal initiative intended to give states greater flexibility in administering education programs and federal funding.
U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon announced the approval Tuesday during an event in Hot Springs. Iowa, Indiana, Louisiana and Vermont have also received the waiver.
Under the waiver, the Arkansas Department of Education will be allowed to consolidate four federal education funding streams into a single fund, a change expected to combine more than $8.8 million in federal funding over the next four years. State officials said the flexibility is also expected to reduce administrative costs and paperwork, allowing more resources to be directed toward classrooms and student services.
The waiver also expands eligibility for Alternative Fund Use Authority, allowing additional rural school districts to consolidate certain federal funding sources and giving those districts greater flexibility in how the money is used.
Several changes will also affect student accountability and testing.
Students taking coursework above their grade level will be able to use the corresponding high school end-of-course assessment for accountability purposes rather than completing both grade-level and high school assessments. State officials said the change is intended to better reflect student achievement while reducing unnecessary testing.
In addition, students enrolled in Alternative Learning Environments (ALE) will be counted as part of their home school for accountability purposes. The Arkansas Department of Education said the change is designed to provide a more accurate picture of long-term student outcomes.
Along with receiving the Returning Education to the States waiver, Arkansas also became the 21st state to receive Ed-Flex authority. The designation allows the Arkansas Department of Education to waive certain federal requirements for local education agencies without first obtaining approval from the U.S. Department of Education.
The federal agency also approved Arkansas’ amended Title I-A state plan, which aligns state and federal accountability requirements and updates the state’s school improvement framework.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, Arkansas is the first state to receive concurrent approval of a Returning Education to the States waiver, an amended Title I-A state plan and Ed-Flex authority as part of a comprehensive package of federal education flexibilities.
