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California appears to be the only state in the nation that has applied for — but not yet received — a so-called “waiver” from NCLB but doesn’t already have a one-year freeze on NCLB’s ever-escalating proficiency requirements in its back pocket.  That means California schools will be among the only ones in the nation operating under the full force of the original NCLB rating system during 2012-2013.  

WAIVERS:  States that receive waivers are free to vary from NCLB’s annual school rating system, called AYP (annual yearly progress), in exchange for committing to a series of additional reforms.   Nevada is the most recent state to receive waiver approval from Washington, bringing the total number of states with approved waivers up to 33 plus DC. There are a baker’s dozen of states that haven’t applied for a waiver at all. See EdWeek’s Politics K-12 for more details.

FREEZES:  States that receive a one-year freeze are still governed by NCLB but are not required to ratchet up the minimum proficiency scores required for next year, called AMO (annual measurable objectives). Seven of the states that have applied for a waiver already had a one-year freeze on that requirement, according to the US Department of Education: Alabama,  Alaska, Maine, West Virginia,  Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, and Kansas.  (South Dakota requested a freeze but then got a waiver.  Wyoming’s freeze request is still pending.) I got this information from the USDE but there doesn’t seem to be a link listing states.

There leaves just four states — Idaho, Iowa, Illinois, and California — with waiver applications that have not yet been approved.  But three out of the four have freezes. The one that doesn’t?  The Golden State.  I’m told by the CDE that there’s no application for an AMO freeze in the works.