When President Bush signed No Child Left Behind into law five years ago today, it seemed that each student in every classroom had just been handed something long overdue: a better education.

It was difficult to dispute a law whose goal was to make all students proficient in math and English by 2014, let alone one that promised to close the achievement gap for disadvantaged students.

If only that were the case.

For all its noble intentions, the law failed to take into account that not every student learns at the same pace, or the same way. As a result, schools across the nation are struggling to meet the requirements of an underfunded mandate with its one-size-fits-all approach to learning.

Under the law, states are required to test students in math and English. The test scores are used to monitor a school's adequate yearly progress (AYP). Schools that fail to show an improvement face punitive action.

Last year, 66 percent of public schools in Hawai'i failed to meet the AYP requirements under No Child Left Behind. In addition, one-fourth of the nation's public schools failed to meet the benchmark. But the law's rigid requirements divide schools into two piles, pass or fail, without taking into account each child's progress.

While Hawai'i fared poorly under the law, it did show an overall improvement in student proficiency in both math and English. By ignoring such progress, the focus is taken away from students and given merely to scores and ratings.

Of course there must be accountability in our schools. And, yes, the goal to have each child proficient in the basics should not be compromised. But there is a better way to achieve these goals.

Rather than basing the judgment on the proportion of students who are proficient, the state proposes that students' progress over time be a measure of success. The federal Department of Education has determined that only 10 schools will be allowed to follow this so-called "growth model" of school assessment.

The feds should rethink that position. States should be allowed to judge whether their students would benefit from an emphasis on growth and improvement. It's unfair to deny students the chance to be measured against this more-forgiving scale.

During the next few months, Congress will decide whether to reauthorize the law, or make improvements to it.

Considering the stakes — our children's education — making improvements is not an option. It's an obligation.