No Child Left Behind, the 2002 federal law, brought a needed degree of accountability to the nation's public-school classrooms. But it's important to read the feedback from the student data with the right perspective: a recognition that the measurements themselves are flawed.

Even granted that last week's report on the "adequate yearly progress" (AYP) goals is only a snapshot, schools in Hawai'i and other states need a more meaningful picture than the AYP marks provide.

That report showed that two-thirds of Hawai'i's public schools missed the AYP goal that the state Department of Education set at the outset. Essentially, these are like markers the state set for itself on the road to 2014, the year when all schools are due to show 100 percent proficiency in reading and math among their students. The DOE set these goalposts to keep schools on pace to attain that full proficiency on time.

Clearly, some schools are lagging behind, but taken at face value, the report does not convey the reality accurately. Many students are doing better in reading and math scores, despite what AYP defines as "progress."

That measure sets unrealistic expectations for schools because to be shown as meeting the goals, the performance must pass muster across 37 different student groupings. If students fall short in even one of those categories (example: students with language barriers), the entire school is counted as a failure.

The Obama administration has pledged to see that the measure is made less punitive; the law is due to be reauthorized later this year. Many in Congress favor a model that places more emphasis on performance improvement than on rigid benchmarks. This makes much more sense.

But the DOE still needs to heed some warning signs in the math scores which show students making less progress than they are in reading. In a world where the importance of math skills is increasing, schools need to get to the bottom of that problem, and soon.

Finally, if indeed no child is to be left behind, it's critical to find out how each child is faring on his or her educational journey. That's why it's encouraging to see the federal government now pledging money for the development of databases for each state's schools that can actually track how each child is doing — from kindergarten to career launch. The hope is that such data will guide teachers and administrators on where problems have arisen and how to intervene as quickly as possible.

The Hawai'i school system must accelerate efforts to meet its obligation to the students in its care. With every year that's lost, an entire cohort of children will have missed its opportunity to get the education they deserve.