Oklahoma’s institutions of higher education last week ruled that the state’s K-12 academic standards are rigorous enough to get students ready for college and the workforce, an action that raises the possibility that the state can regain its waiver from the No Child Left Behind Act.
Oklahoma lost its federal flexibility in August because it ditched the Common Core State Standards, and the regents for higher education had not signed off on the state’s old standards.
States can choose to use their own standards or develop new ones, as long as their postsecondary institutions say the expectations are high enough that students will graduate from high school ready for college or a career.
