OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The U.S. Department of Education says achieving high academic standards — not politics — was behind its decision to deny Oklahoma education officials the authority to decide how to spend some of the federal education money the state receives.
The agency on Thursday refused to grant the state a flexibility waiver under the No Child Left Behind Act over how it spends up to $29 million in federal funding, saying Oklahoma could no longer prove its 800,000 pupils are leaving high school ready for a college or a career following the repeal of Common Core standards.
Dorie Nolt, press secretary for the education agency, said Friday repeal of Common Core left the state without college-and-career-ready standards that provide critical thinking and problem solving skills she said students need to succeed.