Many states will no longer be held to certain requirements of the No Child Left Behind education law put in place under the George W. Bush administration.

President Barack Obama announced Thursday that 10 states will receive waivers for the law's strict requirements.

"We have got to stay focused on those goals, but we have got to do it in a way that doesn't force teachers to teach to the test or encourage schools to lower their standards to avoid being labeled as failures," he said.

No Child Left Behind was put in place to build accountability for teachers and raise educational standards.

The bipartisan effort was soon criticized though because results were based on standardized test scores, often putting pressure on students and educators.

Many states claimed getting all students to satisfactory levels in reading and math by the law's 2014 deadline was unobtainable.

The 10 states receiving waivers to bypass the deadline are Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oklahoma, and Tennessee.

Another 28 states other states are also seeking waivers

Many teachers are parents are praising the move, saying schools can now focus more on learning and less on passing tests.