ALBANY - 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.)

District Grade Number tested % passed Mean scale score

Auburn 3 ELA 359 63.5% 665

Auburn 4 ELA 342 67.3% 657

Auburn 5 ELA 364 66.8% 662

Auburn 6 ELA 382 61.0% 657

Auburn 7 ELA 347 52.7% 649

Auburn 8 ELA 360 52.5% 650

Cato-Meridian 3 ELA 68 73.5% 669

Cato-Meridian 4 ELA 86 74.4% 670

Cato-Meridian 5 ELA 76 85.5% 677

Cato-Meridian 6 ELA 96 64.6% 657

Cato-Meridian 7 ELA 78 61.5% 656

Cato-Meridian 8 ELA 101 56.4% 656

Jordan-Elbridge 4 ELA 101 71.3% 663

Jordan-Elbridge 5 ELA 114 68.4% 670

Jordan-Elbridge 6 ELA 113 73.5% 669

Jordan-Elbridge 7 ELA 132 74.2% 669

Jordan-Elbridge 8 ELA 128 68.0% 665

Jordan-Elbridge 3 ELA 117 63.2% 664

Moravia 3 ELA 86 57.0% 656

Moravia 4 ELA 68 82.4% 667

Moravia 5 ELA 81 77.8% 673

Moravia 6 ELA 78 79.5% 670

Moravia 7 ELA 92 70.7% 665

Moravia 8 ELA 87 63.2% 663

Port Byron 3 ELA 89 75.3% 678

Port Byron 4 ELA 70 75.7% 671

Port Byron 5 ELA 77 80.5% 670

Port Byron 6 ELA 71 67.6% 661

Port Byron 7 ELA 82 68.3% 661

Port Byron 8 ELA 87 46.0% 641

Skaneateles 3 ELA 133 89.5% 692

Skaneateles 4 ELA 129 79.8% 676

Skaneateles 5 ELA 119 88.2% 686

Skaneateles 6 ELA 146 82.9% 671

Skaneateles 7 ELA 134 82.8% 677

Skaneateles 8 ELA 144 79.9% 678

Southern Cayuga 3 ELA 55 80.0% 682

Southern Cayuga 4 ELA 51 64.7% 657

Southern Cayuga 5 ELA 52 67.3% 665

Southern Cayuga 6 ELA 68 60.3% 661

Southern Cayuga 7 ELA 68 70.6% 668

Southern Cayuga 8 ELA 81 55.6% 653

Union Springs 3 ELA 59 83.1% 679

Union Springs 4 ELA 68 73.5% 673

Union Springs 5 ELA 79 81.0% 681

Union Springs 6 ELA 83 73.5% 667

Union Springs 7 ELA 56 67.9% 661

Union Springs 8 ELA 88 70.5% 663

Weedsport 3 ELA 64 79.7% 680

Weedsport 4 ELA 61 83.6% 679

Weedsport 5 ELA 62 79.0% 665

Weedsport 6 ELA 81 69.1% 663

Weedsport 7 ELA 76 67.1% 659

Weedsport 8 ELA 66 77.3% 665