ALBANY, N.Y. -- After years of stagnation, middle schools have improved their performance in English, statewide test scores showed Tuesday.
The results also showed unexpected strength among immigrants learning English who took the grade-school standardized tests earlier this year. Although the statewide average grade for these "English language learners" dropped slightly, twice as many immigrants took the test than in past years because of a recent federal requirement.
State Education Commissioner Richard Mills said the middle schools that improved the most set a course and stuck to it, making every teacher _ even science and math teachers _ instructors in reading and writing.
"These schools have set expectations that everyone enforces," he said.
The results showed:
_63.4 percent of all students in grades 3 through 8 met or exceeded the state standard, up from 61.5 percent a year ago. That follows years of decline or no improvement.
_Fewer of those students in grades 3-8 scored at the lowest level: 6.1 percent compared to 8.1 percent last year.
_The biggest city school districts _ in New York City, Yonkers, Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo _ trailed the statewide average for grades 3-8 again. In New York City, about half the students met the English standards, while 46.7 percent met the standard in Yonkers, 37.3 percent in Syracuse, 38.4 percent in Rochester and 34.5 percent in Buffalo.
_The English performance for immigrant and other students labeled "English language learners" declined slightly in each grade from third to seventh, but rose slightly in eighth grade.
_Fewer English language learners in grades 3-8 scored in the lowest level this year _ 29.3 percent _ compared to last year _ 36.6 percent.
"We're not going to lessen the pressure one single bit," said state schools Chancellor Robert Bennett. "We expect much better results a year from now and two years from now."
The state Board of Regents is now revising its literacy standards for all subjects as well as the amount of literacy education new teachers must have.
Test results for each school and school district are available through each district's school report cards and from the state Education Department (http://www.nysed.gov.)
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