If the state board of education gives final approval, Missouri will be among 39 states asking to be excused from the federal No Child Left Behind Act. Michele Clark of the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education says Missouri has been working on this since October. If all goes well, this would be Missouri’s last school year under the federal law.

Clark says the waiver would let Missouri decide what works for Missouri. She says the federal law kickstarted many school systems in the beginning, but now lays down an unattainable mandate. The third draft of Missouri’s proposed waiver has been posted on the department’s website, dese.mo.gov. It’s open for public review and comment.