kcentv.com - KCEN HD - Waco, Temple, and Killeen10 States Freed From Some 'No Child Left Behind' Rules

Washington (CNN) -- Ten states are being granted waivers to free them from parts of the No Child Left Behind law, the White House said Thursday.

"After waiting far too long for Congress to reform No Child Left Behind, my administration is giving states the opportunity to set higher, more honest standards in exchange for more flexibility," President Barack Obama said in a news release.

The president added that "if we're serious about helping our children reach their potential, the best ideas aren't going to come from Washington alone. Our job is to harness those ideas, and to hold states and schools accountable for making them work."

The states are Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oklahoma, and Tennessee.

In exchange for the flexibility, the states "have agreed to raise standards, improve accountability, and undertake essential reforms to improve teacher effectiveness," the White House said.

They will no longer have to meet 2014 targets set by the law.

New Mexico also requested such flexibility, and the Obama administration is working closely with that state, the White House said. Another 28 states, Puerto Rico, and District of Columbia have indicated plans to also seek such flexibility, the White House said.

President Bush signed No Child Left Behind into law 10 years ago. One of the bipartisan bill's sponsors was the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Massachusetts. The law included a focus on measuring student outcomes, largely from standardized tests.

Some supporters say it has helped close an achievement gap between disadvantaged students and others.

But the law is a source of controversy, with opponents arguing it is turning classrooms into test preparation centers, taking time away from subjects that aren't tested, and potentially contributing to cheating scandals.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan says the law drives down standards, weakens accountability, causes narrowing of the curriculum and labels too many schools as failing, the White House said in the news release. "Moreover, the law mandates unworkable remedies at the federal level instead of allowing local educators to make spending decisions," it said.

The law has been in need of reauthorization since 2007.

Last year, the Obama administration announced that states could apply for waivers from some provisions of the law if they meet other federal mandates.

To get the waivers, states have to adopt and have a plan to implement "college and career-ready standards," the White House said. "They must also create comprehensive systems of teacher and principal development, evaluation and support that include factors beyond test scores, such as principal observation, peer review, student work, or parent and student feedback."

Based on standards set by the law, more schools were listed as failing last year than in any previous year since the law's passage. About 48% of schools did not make what's called "adequate yearly progress" in 2011, up from 39% in 2010, according to the Center on Education Policy.