It seems almost 1/2 the states are intersted in the Department of Ed's
olive branch to allow flexibility in their accountability standards
demanded under NCLB.  The N.Y. Times ran the story on Wednesday.

The states that have applied to make the changes for the current
school year are Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Florida,
Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina,
Tennessee and Utah.

Six more — Maryland, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania and South Dakota — have asked to apply changes next year.

Perhaps 10 flexibility slots may not be enough as the
pressure on the federal Department of Ed. increases to step back from
their hard line accountability positions. Look for more concessions to
the states in the near future.