This article discusses more than 40 states that have notified the U.S. Department of Education in order to make changes in their accountability plans approved in 2003 under the No Child Left Behind Act. Federal officials had encouraged states that wanted to make changes that would take effect with the spring's testing cycle to let the Education Department know by April 1. Most states plan to take advantage of the added flexibility the Bush administration has offered in recent months on the testing of students with disabilities or limited English skills, as well as on the methods states can use to calculate test-participation rates. States are also modifying their plans after seeing what won approval in other states and learning from their own experiences with the federal law that President Bush signed in January 2002. A few are resubmitting proposals that got shot down the first time around. Some are requesting changes that would require amending the law. Assistant Secretary Simon said each state has been assigned a person within the Education Department to work on its requests.