But it takes more than a glance to understand what the number means - and what it doesn't mean.

NCLB says all U.S. public schools must track the performance of students, grouped according to race, ethnicity, disabilities, family income and limited English proficiency, with standardized tests in language and math.

Students in each of those groups must score high enough in both subjects to meet federal standards or their school is assessed as failing the "adequate yearly progress" requirement of the act.

That means if a small number of students - including those who don't speak English well, or at all - fail the same test that all other students, including English-speakers, are required to pass, the entire school fails. If they fail to make AYP two years running, Title I schools, those that receive federal funds to aid students at risk, must pay travel expenses for students who decide to transfer to another school.

Utah officials have taken issue with the unfairness of NCLB's requirements and the expense of all its testing and paperwork. The Utah Legislature passed a law that allows schools to ignore NCLB rules when they conflict with state reform plans and when they are unfunded.

The theory behind No Child Left Behind is sound. Disaggregating data should force schools to pay attention to disadvantaged students and children of racial and ethnic minorities so that their lower test scores don't get absorbed into the average for the whole student body and essentially disappear.

While protesting the mechanics of NCLB rules, Utah educators agree with the theory behind it. Their complaint, with which we agree, is that state reforms can work as well and are more affordable.

Utah's NCLB test-score statistics this year show the capriciousness of the act. Forty-two schools that attained AYP two years in a row did not achieve it this year, and 24 schools that improved in 2004 compared with 2003 results also fell behind this year. When failure is measured by the achievement of just a few, obviously it's extremely difficult to maintain steady improvement.

Parents should use the NCLB report as one tool to assess the quality of their children's school, not a definitive reason to switch.