Without information from the reports, parents whose children's schools are failing NCLB requirements may find it harder to exercise their right under the law to send their children to better-performing schools or get them tutoring.

The late release of Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) reports contradicts the point of the law, critics say.

"NCLB comes with a promise: While we fix our schools, we'll help students while they wait," said Gary Huggins, director of the Aspen Institute's Commission on No Child Left Behind in Washington, D.C. "We can't keep that promise if we can't get the data out."

Utah is expected to release AYP data to the public on Sept. 17, a full three weeks after most Utah students on traditional schedules return to the classroom. That's as fast as the numbers can be turned around, particularly when the state has not gone fully online with its testing, said Mark Peterson, a Utah Office of Education spokesman.

"Once online testing becomes more available, we anticipate speeding up the whole process, but that's a way off," he said.

Utah students already have choice when it comes to schools, officials say. In theory, the state's open-enrollment rules allow any student to go to any school that has not been deemed overpopulated, even out of district.

But knowing more about a school's NCLB status would help more than parents. One administrator says the testing information would be useful in planning for the year and tinkering with textbooks and curriculum.

"If you aren't getting that ahead of time then you're guesstimating," said John Erlacher, principal of Mountain View Elementary School in Salt Lake City. "And maybe what you've done the year before was successful - you just don't know."

AYP reports use testing, attendance and graduation information that reflects student achievement to determine whether schools are meeting goals set forth by NCLB. That information is analyzed by race and socioeconomics, allowing schools to know whether their most disadvantaged students are succeeding.

The federal government has approved the late release of AYP reports in Utah, though officials are urging the state to get the job done earlier, which is complicated by the number of year-round schools, said Superintendent of Public Instruction Patti Harrington.

"We're very anxious parents are aware of what's going on in schools," she said. "Generally speaking, parents are happy, so they're not giving credibility to AYP the way the federal government would like them to."

Not every state is as slow as Utah to release AYP information.

In New Mexico, parents can access AYP results as early as Aug. 3, though they are not finalized until mid-September. The goal is to help parents take advantage of options earlier and not disrupt their children's education once the year starts, officials say.

"The reason we work hard to try to get that information out to parents as quickly as possible is because of choice," said Veronica Garcia, New Mexico's secretary of education. "We believe that we are meeting the spirit of NCLB by being proactive and working as expeditiously as possible to get that information out."

Even without having finalized AYP data at the start of school, Utah districts rely on other placement and testing information to plan the year. But the NCLB results could play a role in parents' choices, principals say. It's unclear just how many parents care, however.

"I know there are people who go right to the [AYP] site, look that up and want to consider that when considering options," said Principal Spencer Jacobs, of Mountain Shadows Elementary in West Jordan.

Those parents who are aware of the options don't appear to be in any rush to switch schools. According to preliminary data in state reports nationwide, about 1.2 percent of eligible students participated in NCLB school choice in the 2005-06 school year, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

Utah education officials point out that the state is processing a massive amount of information between the end-of-year testing cycle and the fall. The only way to produce results earlier would be to test students earlier, raising questions about how much information students may have mastered. Parents can look at older AYP information and other data to gauge a school. Giving the state more time ensures accuracy, officials say.

But losing time that could be used to plan and prepare for students comes with a cost.

"We only have 180 days as it is," said Erlacher, the Mountain View principal. "If you're wasting any days, it's a sin."

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* JULIA LYON can be contacted at jlyon@sltrib.com or 801-257-8748.