After having the opportunity for input and discussion at state advisory meetings, CTA is supporting the California Department of Education’s request for a state-defined waiver from many of the burdensome provisions of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. The California ESEA Waiver proposal builds off the state’s current accountability system and uses the Academic Performance Index, rather than the often conflicting federal Adequate Yearly Progress. This change makes much more sense for California schools and students. The California waiver proposal, which has been approved by the State Board of Education and sent to the U.S. Department of Education, would: recognize the progress California students have made over the last 10 years, eliminate the unrealistic goals of all students being proficient by 2014, eliminate the practice of labeling schools, give California more flexibility in prioritizing schools that need assistance and in allocating resources to help, and recognize the importance of implementing the new Common Core State Standards within our accountability system. In submitting its own state-defined waiver, the CDE rejected submitting a federal ESEA waiver, which included many other top-down federal mandates. It’s time we leave behind NCLB for good.