Nearly 10,000 Oregon students reached an advanced level of English language skill last school year, according to state data released today. That's nearly 40 percent higher than the number of kids deemed proficient the previous year.

State officials say the newly released data for the 2009-10 school year demonstrates that many Oregon districts are figuring out how to reach students who are struggling to learn English, give them support and get them successfully through the program.

Each year, the state measures the progress of students learning English. The report highlights how many students are making at least one year's progress and how many students are reaching the proficient level and exiting the program. Each school district must meet state-established targets in those areas and meet federal benchmarks, or face sanctions such as funding cuts.

Susanne Smith, spokeswoman for the Oregon Department of Education, said the agency wants to see about as many students exit the program as enter it each year. Typically, 10,500 to 12,000 new students are identified each year as needing English language services.

Though Oregon nearly reached that goal in 2009-10, that group of students represented only 15 percent of all English language learners.

"As our state continues to cut K-12 funding, we must not lose sight of the fact that demand for specialized services like English language development is at an all-time high," State Superintendent Susan Castillo said in a statement Monday.

This year, for the first time, the department also released numbers that show how many kids who have been in an English language program for at least five years are reaching that proficient level. Statewide, the number was 26 percent.

Officials say they began calculating this number in part because they were seeing more districts identify students, but not get them to the advanced level within five years.

Seven Oregon districts met the targets for the first time in five years, including Baker and South Lane. Eight districts met the targets for the first time in three years, including Newberg, West Linn-Wilsonville and Banks.

In Newberg, Jonathan Fost, director of English language and migrant programs, said the willingness of the teaching staff to learn new techniques and spend more time collaborating was one of the major reasons for the district's success. The district also made changes to student schedules to give kids more English language instruction.

In 2008-09, Newberg helped 15 percent of students reach proficiency, compared to 11 percent statewide. In 2009-10, the number grew to 25 percent, compared to 15 percent statewide.

"Ironically, our program is beginning to shrink," Fost said. "That means we're doing our jobs. We're teaching kids what we are supposed to be, graduating kids in greater numbers who can have success in the mainstream."

Among Oregon's districts that serve more than 1,000 students learning English, Forest Grove and Woodburn stood out, helping 21 percent and 19 percent of students reach proficiency in 2009-10. Portland Public Schools and Hillsboro were at the bottom of the group, both posting scores of nearly 12 percent. Neither district met any of the state criteria that measure progress.

Matt Shelby, spokesman for Portland Public Schools, said the data reaffirms the results of the district's recent audit, which showed the district lacked a coordinated and coherent program.

"We have a consistency issues," Shelby said. "It's something we already knew we needed to address as a district. The school board and superintendent have already taken steps towards that."

Kimberly Melton, The Oregonian