Washington ? Having missed one deadline already, states still face an enormous challenge in putting qualified teachers in all major classes, a federal review says.

Some states are in much better shape than others, the Education Department said Wednesday. Most meet only some criteria in required new plans. Four fail altogether.

Under the No Child Left Behind law, states were supposed to have highly qualified teachers in every core academic class by the end of the last school year. None made it.

So the Education Department demanded new state plans. They were to include details on how states would improve their teaching corps and ensure fairness for poor and minority children.

The federal analysis of those plans yields a mixed picture.

Most states got credit for showing serious effort. Yet a few were ordered to start over.

Overall, most failed to provide all the answers the department asked for. Still, Education Secretary Margaret Spellings said she was encouraged.

“Many states took this very seriously, recognizing that good teachers make all the difference in whether or not our children succeed in their studies,” she said in a statement.

Meanwhile, for parents and students, more patience will be required. The new goal is 100 percent compliance by the end of the 2006-07 school year, but some states may be years away.

Most of the states – 37 of them, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico – met only some of the criteria. They must submit new data or plans this fall or risk facing penalties.

Four states failed altogether: Hawaii, Missouri, Utah and Wisconsin. They must submit new plans and undergo monthly auditing of their teacher quality data, the department says.

The remaining nine states got favorable reviews for handing in complete plans and creative ideas about how they will improve. Those nine are Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, Ohio, South Carolina and South Dakota.