BOISE, ID — Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction Debbie Critchfield briefed members of the Idaho House and Senate education committees on Monday about a proposal aimed at reducing federal administrative requirements in public education.

According to the Idaho Department of Education, the plan involves applying for federal waivers that would give the state and local school districts greater flexibility in how certain federal education requirements are met. The proposals are currently open for public comment, with the comment period scheduled to close soon.

The department said the waiver requests follow guidance from the U.S. Department of Education encouraging states to seek flexibility that shifts more decision-making authority to state and local education leaders. Idaho’s proposals were developed over several months by the Idaho Federal Flexibility Workgroup, which met from August through November to identify ways to reduce administrative burdens, particularly related to funding and student assessments.

One proposed waiver would allow Idaho to use the Idaho Reading Indicator in place of the English language arts portion of the Idaho Standards Achievement Test for third-grade students, reducing the number of required tests at that grade level. Another request would allow school districts to offer alternatives to the current eleventh-grade assessment, including options such as the SAT and approved career-technical exams.

The department is also considering applying for Ed-Flex state status, which would allow the U.S. Secretary of Education to delegate authority to Idaho to waive certain federal requirements that may limit local education efforts.