The federal process for approving state waiver requests to exceed a 1% cap on the number of students with significant cognitive disabilities who take alternate assessments is “generally appropriate” according to an Office of Inspector General (OIG) report.
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE), however, has room for improvement. OIG recommends that OESE develop and implement written guidance and review procedures for staff involved in reviewing and approving waiver and waiver extension requests. Those efforts could bring “greater consistency and less subjectivity” to the process.
OIG’s recent inspection examined the waiver process for the 2021-22 school year and only focused on the waiver review process. It did not review OESE’s responses to states seeking waivers.
For more info from the OIG, click here.