Virginia was the only state to earn a perfect score in a report that examined states' academic standards as required by the federal No Child Left Behind Law.

While this is great news for Virginia, several school officials in the Valley would rather do away with the law. Augusta County School Board member David Shiflett says NCLB hurts students, especially those seeking art and vocational education.

Shiflett says, "It's leaving behind the very students that it was supposedly designed to help."

He says the law paints all schools across the country with the same brush, but it's different in the Valley.

"What works in Augusta County, Virginia is not the same thing that will work in Philadelphia or New York, or some inner-city school," says Shiflett.

Shiflett says some students struggle with the requirements, and then they have to take remediation classes in order to pass the NCLB test.

He says, "These are the same students that learn by doing, by putting their hands on something."

Schools in the Valley have also had to cut back in certain areas to meet the requirements.

Harrisonburg City Schools Superintendent Dr. Donald Ford says they've had to squeeze down minutes for academic time and have also discussed ways to better accommodate subjects such as art, music, and physical education.

Waynesboro City Schools Superintendent Dr. Robin Crowder says they've started offering "zero period" classes, which occur after the normal school day and accommodate the subjects that students may not be able to fit into their schedules, such as choral music, drama, and art.

Shiflett argues our youth would be better suited without the law altogether.

He says, "Whether it's welding or masonry or carpentry or whatever it might be, these are skills that these students need in order to get into the job market once they get out of school."

A study conducted in March by the Center on Education Policy shows that art education has declined 35 percent in schools nationwide since NCLB was implemented in 2001.