Feds don't raise passing mark for Alabama schools

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The federal government has given Alabama a waiver that will make it easier for public schools to make a passing grade under the No Child Left Behind Act.

The U.S. Department of Education has allowed Alabama to freeze the requirements at the 2011. Normally the number of students needed to pass standardized tests to achieve adequate yearly progress goes up each year, but the waiver means the number of students in Alabama won’t go up when Alabama’s 2012 results are announced next month.