The No Child Left Behind Act requires state governments to test all public school students in reading and math between the third and eight grades. The act also requires a proficiency test during a student's high school years. In accordance with the act, schools also must reveal group results for Hispanics, African-Americans, English-language learners and students with learning disabilities. The act mandates increases in academic achievement every year, with all students attaining grade-level proficiency by 2014.
One of the most common complaints from states is that state governments will lose federal funds if their students are not at grade level by 2014. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has estimated that 80 percent of schools across the country will fail to meet the 2014 requirement because the vast majority of schools have not met the academic achievement metrics established by the Bush administration.
In response to complaints regarding the possible loss of federal educational funds, Duncan announced that President Obama would sign an executive order allowing the U.S. Department of Education to grant waivers to state governments. At an Aug. 8, 2011, press conference, Duncan said the law focuses too heavily on "proficiency levels," as opposed to "progress."
Several states have receive temporary waivers from the No Child Left Behind Act. For example, after Hurricane Katrina, Louisiana was granted a temporary waiver because it was unable to conduct school-based programs funded by the federal government. Mississippi received a similar waiver, which expired in 2008. Temporary exemptions from various portions of the law have been granted to several other states, including Alaska, Arizona, Iowa and Ohio. As of Aug. 11, 2011, no state had been made permanently exempt, as President Obama had not yet signed the executive order allowing the Department of Education to grant permanent waivers.