The Department of Education released State Guidance on renewal of waivers under The Elementary and Secondary Education Act, also known as the No Child Left Behind Act. The forty-one states, the District of Columbia, and eight districts in California that currently have waivers may request up to two-year extensions. The Guidance clarifies what states must do to obtain renewal waivers: reaffirm their commitment to college and career ready standards and tests; implement differentiated accountability systems that focus on closing achievement gaps; implement new teacher evaluation systems by the 2014-15 school year, and by October 2015, use teacher evaluation data to ensure that poor and minority students are not taught by ineffective teachers at a higher rate than their peers.