By Associated Press Channel 2 News AP

2:45 p.m. AKDT, July 7, 2012
FAIRBANKS, Alaska—
The U.S. Department of Education has approved Alaska's request for a one-year freeze on state targets under the No Child Left Behind Act.
   
Under the Bush-era law, the number of students needed to pass standardized tests to achieve adequate yearly progress increases each year. The one-year waiver will allow Alaska to use 2010-11 proficiency targets when calculating its progress in the coming school year.
   
Fairbanks North Star Borough School District Superintendent Pete Lewis told the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner that the partial waiver is a step in the right direction.
   
Meanwhile, State Rep. Bob Miller of Fairbanks released a statement in favor of a larger waiver from the act's "one-size-fits-all requirements."