San Mateo County’s English learners slip but still fare better than peers statewide

San Mateo County’s English-learning students stumbled slightly on a test measuring their grasp of the language but still performed better than their counterparts statewide, according to an annual report released Tuesday.

The 2010-11 results of the California English Language Development Test showed that 40 percent of the students in the county scored at “early advanced” and “advanced” levels of proficiency — down from last year’s 41 percent, according to the report from the state Department of Education. That slip reflected a modest statewide decline, but the county remained ahead of the state average of 37 percent.

Peter Burchyns, spokesman for the county Office of Education, cited several factors behind the relative success of local English learners. The county office is working with districts on how to use data to track students’ progress and make adjustments, Burchyns said. The agency also provides professional development and outside experts, he said.

Among the districts that improved from a year ago was Redwood City Elementary, which went from 30 to 32 percent. “It means we’re holding our own,” said Rosemarie Perez, director of English-learner services for the Redwood City district. “But it’s not the significant increase we’d like to see.”

The district’s results have gone up and down over the years. Perez attributed the struggle to dwindling staffing and resources due to budget cuts. In the past, she said, summer school helped the district’s English learners maintain what they learned during the academic year.

“But in the last two years, we’ve had no summer school,” she said. “I think that has had a lot of impact. The kids come back after speaking their (native) language during the summer and have to take a test in English.”

Despite the lean times, she said, “We never give up on our English learners. We will continue to work hard, and our teachers remain committed.”

In August, the district will launch a pilot program giving about 120 English learners intensive instruction over two weeks to help them do well on the state test, she said. Still, she added, “that’s a drop in the bucket,” because the district has about 4,400 English learners.

About 22,700 English learners attended public schools countywide in 2010 — or a quarter of the total student population, according to the state. Their numbers have steadily increased since 2006, when the county had about 19,300 English learners.

Although the statewide results dipped from last year, the percentage of English learners doing well on the 2010-11 test was still higher than the 32 percent in 2006-07.

“These results demonstrate that the valiant efforts of teachers and school administrators to help our students become fluent in English are being undermined by budget cuts that are crowding classes and shortening the school year,” state education chief Tom Torlakson said in a statement. “For years, we’ve been asking our schools to do more with less, and somehow they have managed to deliver. That cannot go on forever. The only way to achieve and sustain the excellence we want for English learners and all students is to invest in our schools again.”

In that regard, Torlakson said, California is seeking additional federal funds to create an English-proficiency assessment system aligned to college and career-geared standards.