With thousands of Oregon students learning English as a second language, most school districts fell well short of getting even half of them proficient within five years, according to state data released last week.

Most Eastern Oregon districts also followed that trend in 2008-09, according to the state Department of Education. Only one – the Stanfield School District - surpassed all three federal targets and earned a passing grade for its English language development.

“It means a lot to us,” said Kevin Headings, who will step in as Stanfield’s superintendent next month. “It kind of falls into the vision we’ve had the last few years in upping the student achievement in all of our areas.”

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