Granted a waiver from key provisions of the No Child Left Behind law, Mississippi schools will now have more flexibility with public education, its interim state superintendent said Wednesday.

“It will allow us an opportunity to institute better practices in our schools and make a difference in the lives of our students,” Dr. Lynn House said in a prepared statement.

Mississippi was among six states and the District of Columbia granted waivers Wednesday from the Bush-era law. All told, 32 states have waivers; four have outstanding requests.

Vicksburg’s public school superintendent said she plans to study the specifics of the waiver ruling today and report on its local impact at a meeting tonight of the board of trustees.

“It means in certain areas we’ll be allowed waivers from the requirements of the law, but it’s not known yet exactly which ones,” Dr. Elizabeth Swinford said this morning.

Trustees of the Vicksburg Warren School District meet at 5:30 p.m. at the district office board room at 1500 Mission 66.

Reportedly, states granted waivers will be exempt from the law’s requirement that all students be proficient in math and reading by 2014 — a goal the nation is still far from reaching, authorities said. In its place, the federal Education Department has approved state plans aimed at improving low-performing schools, increasing teacher efficiency and preparing students for college and careers.

Swinford told Kiwanians that preliminary data show the VWSD has made gains but will remain in the category of Academic Watch. The district would need to gain about 25 “QDI” points to be upgraded to a Successful district, she said.

“I cannot release the numbers… but we are moving in that direction,” she said. “We have had a jump. We went up four points last year and better than that this year. There will be a lot of celebrating and a sense of pride when these numbers are released.”

Test scores are largely dependent upon reading ability, Swinford said, and the VWSD has worked in several ways to raise students’ reading levels, from adding 30 minutes a day to the elementary school schedule and dedicating that time to reading; stressing reading throughout the curriculum, including physical education and math classes; and investing $250,000 in a reading program aimed at increasing the ability of at-risk older students.

The latter program resulted in accelerated reading abilities for those students and a more than a three-fold increase in those students attaining GEDs this year, from about 10 to 35.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.