The feds have said the Utah Performance Assessment System for Students falls short of key NCLB requirements, namely that all students be proficient in reading and math by 2014 and that schools be held accountable for improving test scores of all demographic groups.

Approval of U-PASS would be a major breakthrough in months-long negotiations over federal flexibility between Utah and Washington. However, it's too early to say whether state officials would meet these conditions outlined in a letter Tuesday from Assistant Secretary of Education Raymond Simon to state Superintendent Patti Harrington:

* The state system can't give extra weight to students scoring above proficiency on state tests so as to mask the performance of kids scoring at lower achievement levels.

* The state system should generate separate school-quality reports for language arts and math. Utah intends to merge language arts, math, science, attendance and graduation rates into a single school-quality score. "We like the holistic approach," Harrington said.

* The state system must not deem a school's quality as acceptable unless the school has increased the percentage of students who pass state tests.

* The state system must follow federal regulations.