Hawaii’s public schools will be allowed to ignore parts of the federal No Child Left Behind law in favor of a state-developed accountability system, under a waiver granted Monday by the U.S. Department of Education.

The state Department of Education had applied last year for exemption from key provisions of the 2001 federal law, which requires that schools meet rising annual proficiency goals or face increasing sanctions. The state said at the time that it would create a rigorous alternative to the federal law’s "one-size-fits-all approach," and emphasized that the waiver would not be a pass on accountability.

The state’s new system — expected to be in place for the upcoming 2013-14 school year — will replace multiple federal requirements and focus more on students’ readiness for college and careers and less on the results of a single annual test.

It is designed to improve education for all students, close achievement gaps, increase equity and improve the quality of instruction, the DOE said.

"Approval to move forward with the Strive HI Performance System validates our strategic direction and allows us to build on Hawaii’s successes," DOE Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi said in a statement. "With the new system, we are more focused on college- and career-readiness, rewarding high-performing schools and customizing support to students, educators and schools."

The waiver also relaxes the requirement that by 2014 all students be proficient in math and reading according to their particular grade level. Critics of No Child Left Behind say the law puts too much emphasis on standardized test scores to measure whether schools are approaching that goal.

Under No Child Left Behind, schools that fail to meet adequate yearly progress benchmarks for consecutive years are subject to various sanctions that include state intervention and replacement of staff.

For the 2011-12 school year, 51 percent of Hawaii’s 286 public schools did not meet adequate yearly progress targets, according to DOE data. For most Hawaii schools to meet that year’s benchmark, 72 percent of students had to test proficient in reading, and 64 percent in math. As a result, more than 80 schools were in restructuring mode — the most serious consequence under No Child Left Behind. (Progress at those schools will be reassessed to determine the appropriate levels of needed interventions and supports, according to the DOE.)

Alaska and West Virginia also were granted waivers Monday, bringing to 37 the number of states operating outside the federal law, along with the District of Columbia.

Because No Child Left Behind — also known as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act — has not been updated by Congress since 2007, Education Secretary Arne Duncan has been pushing lawmakers to review the law.

"Thirty-seven states and the District of Columbia can’t wait any longer for education reform," Duncan said in a statement. "A strong, bipartisan reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act remains the best path forward in education reform, but as these states have demonstrated, our kids can’t wait any longer for Congress to act."

Duncan had announced in 2011 that states would be allowed exemptions from some of the law’s requirements if they meet certain conditions, such as enacting standards to prepare students for college and careers and demanding more accountability of teachers and principals. Since then, 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Bureau of Indian Education have sought waivers to implement their own reforms.

Hawaii’s congressional members praised the move, saying the flexibility would increase accountability in isle schools.

"With these waivers, the education of Hawaii’s next generations is fully Hawaii’s concern; it is our kuleana," U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa said in a statement.

U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard said, "For six years, national education reform has been in a holding pattern. Our students, teachers and administrators have waited for too long and deserve to have the flexibility to pursue Hawaii-developed reforms now."

The DOE said its new accountability system aligns with the department’s strategic plan and state education initiatives, including new curriculum standards, updated assessments, more rigorous graduation requirements, and improved teacher and principal evaluation systems.

"With the approval of the Strive HI Performance System, we’ve unlocked the potential of all these efforts to work together in a coherent way to support success," DOE Deputy Superintendent Ronn Nozoe said in a statement.

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On the net

» For more information about the system, see hawaiidoe.org/strivehisystem.