The U.S. Department of Education renewed Hawaii’s waiver from outdated mandates of the federal No Child Left Behind law Tuesday, allowing the state to continue evaluating public schools on a state-developed accountability system known as Strive HI.

The system largely replaces federal mandates that required schools to meet rising reading and math proficiency targets or face sanctions. In addition to standardized test scores, Strive HI credits schools for attendance, graduation and college-going rates, and closing the achievement gap between high-needs students and their peers.

The state Department of Education said this marks the first time its accountability system has been approved for a full three-year term without conditions attached. Previous federal approval was conditionally approved for one-year terms, beginning in mid-2013.

Of the 256 public schools and 32 public charter schools rated under Strive HI last school year, 125 schools saw a year over-year increase in their index scores, while five were unchanged and the rest saw a decrease, according to Strive HI data the DOE released last summer.

Hawaii’s flexibility renewal is effective through the 2017-18 school year.