Rating NCLB?

[Beware parenthetical asides...]

I have been puzzling (along with some of the local newspaper reporters) on how to understand New Mexico's new "grading" system for K-12 schools.  Besides being one of the tenets of the governor and her education adviser (she was never confirmed by the legislature -- so, even though I am sure she is drawing a tidy sum, she is really only an adviser), this new system is also part of the waiver for NCLB accountability.

I am wondering, beyond trying to understand how AYP and grades A-F (no E) are equivalent or not, how so many waivers can equal success for NCLB.  And now there are 7 more waivers (to add to the already approved 26).  So, there are, so far, 33 out of 50 states that have renegotiated their accountability contracts with the feds.  How many do we need to prove that NCLB is a failure -- at least in terms of accountability?  We were already at half the states, and now we are nearly to 75% (officially at 66% -- as in 2/3). 

There are many parts of NCLB that have engendered changes in our K-12 system that I cannot think are improvements.

I had only held on to the hope that somehow there would be some truth to the fact that accountability would help to close the achievement gap.

As we give up accountability -- move again to hide and otherwise obfuscate how the subgroups are fairing compared to their peers -- I wonder what good has come from NCLB?  When will we give up this policy/law and begin to rebuild?