The state Department of Education is preparing to submit its waiver to the federal No Child Left Behind law.
The department's proposal calls for adhering to the Common Core State Standards, setting up a teacher evaluation and support system, creating an accountability system and simplifying reporting for schools.
According the department, the goal is to, by 2017, reduce by half the proficiency gap between the overall population in a school and the historically low-performing groups of students within the school.
The ADE plans to keep the focus on kids and reduce complexity to the extent possible to help parents, educators, and others involved in public education in Arkansas to better understand the accountability system.
Education Commissioner Tom Kimbrell said his department will have the proposal submitted by Feb. 21.
He touted the benefits of Arkansas' proposal, including the simplified labeling and increased flexibility for schools on how to spend federal dollars to best educate their students.