The U.S. Department of Education has endorsed Utah's method for testing students to evaluate whether schools are in compliance with the federal No Child Left Behind law. A May 8 letter from Henry L. Johnson, assistant U.S. education secretary, said the state's system includes the proper amount of academic content for language arts, math and science. The letter also praised the state for its testing of students with disabilities. "What the federal government is saying is the assessments are valuable and useful in assessing student's knowledge," said Patti Harrington, state schools superintendent. The letter did make some recommendations for improvement, however. As more computer-based tests become available, Utah must more rigorously compare results from electronic versions of NCLB tests with paper and pencil versions. The state also needs to tweak the science exam for students with disabilities. But Harrington said she is "thrilled" Utah's tests have been deemed sufficient by the federal government. Her office also will continue to work on UPASS, the state's alternative accountability system, with hopes that it eventually will be accepted as a measurement of Utah's NCLB compliance. - Sheena McFarland