Alpine and Granite districts also petitioned Park's office to use the three-year average rule, which would change designations of about 35 schools.

But Park worried that smaller districts had not learned of the new rules and therefore would be disadvantaged in AYP tallies.

Twelve superintendents decided Oct. 24 not to re-run school AYP reports based on those rules and instead suggested rule changes for next year, Park told the State Board of Education Friday.

A later superintendents meeting brought other changes, including letting the state this year grant appeals only for calculation error or extreme circumstance. But Bowles says superintendents were split on those moves. He notes federal law hands responsibility for adequate yearly progress strictly to the school districts.

But a U.S. Department of Education audit also has found Utah not adhering to dozens of No Child Left Behind rules, including loose appeals oversight.

"I believe as a school board ... we've bowed out of the whole process more than we should," State Board of Education member Dixie Allen said.

The state now will determine whether any appeals should be overturned and how that might affect low-income schools facing sanctions for repeat underperformance. Reports will be made public Dec. 14.

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E-mail: jtcook@desnews.com