More than two dozen schools in Skagit County failed to meet federal goals for student achievement for two years in a row, which requires school districts to take corrective action or face sanctions.

The guidelines, set by the federal No Child Left Behind Act, require all students in every school in the nation to pass their state’s standardized test by 2014. The Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) has been the test used in this state.

Federal law requires states to increase the numbers of students who pass the test every three years.  Last year many schools failed the federal goal because scores had leveled out.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn called the federal goal “impossible.”

“It’s got to be achievable but it’s still got to be a challenge,” he said. “What it really ought to be about is individual student progress.”

This was the last year the WASL was to be given in its current form. Dorn’s office has been working on a new test that he has said would be simpler to administer and more useful to educators.

Statewide, nearly 1,300 schools did not meet the standard this year because they each missed at least one of 37 possible benchmarks — ranging from the third-grade math scores of Latino or Native American children to a school’s attendance record.

For schools that have previously never been on the improvement list, officials are now sending letters home to parents informing them of that status for the first time.

“I think we have hard-working teachers who really believe that they are making a difference for students, and the test doesn’t necessarily always demonstrate that,” said Cathey Frederick, Mount Vernon School District assistant superintendent for teaching and learning.

Twelve schools in Skagit County went on improvement status for the first time, according to state records released Friday.

In 2009, 1,285 Washington schools did not make adequate yearly progress. More than 200 schools missed the mark in just one category.

Schools that fail to make adequate yearly progress for two consecutive years move into what is called “improvement” status, which involves a series of measures aimed at bringing test scores in line with federal goals. Parents whose children attend one of the 1,073 schools in improvement will get a letter from their school district explaining their options, which in some cases includes the choice of transferring to another school.

Anacortes School District

Two schools in the district are entering the improvement process for the first time, Anacortes Middle and Anacortes High schools. In both schools, low-income students failed to meet the testing target in math for two years in a row.

In addition, the graduation rate at the high school, 66.3 percent according to the state, was considered too low to meet the standard.

Burlington-Edison School District

Four elementary schools and Burlington-Edison High School missed areas of adequate yearly progress for two or more years in a row. New to the needs improvement list are Edison Elementary and Lucille Umbarger Elementary.

West View Elementary met federal goals in three areas this year that it did not last year. The school improved in limited English reading, low-income reading and in unexcused absences , which progressed to step 4.

Concrete School District

Concrete Elementary School moved to improvement step 1 for the first time. The high school’s test pass rate in math also dipped in two categories, putting the school at risk for missing the federal target next year. The graduation rate at the high school, 52.8 percent, was also considered too low.

Conway School District

Conway School met all benchmarks for progress in the 2008-2009 school year. Due to its small size, the school of less than 700 students is typically insulated from reporting low test results. The state doesn’t publicly report results from students who are part of a small minority because if the results were posted, people would know the students responsible for the result.

La Conner School District

La Conner Elementary and Middle schools are entering step 1 of improvement for the first time. Superintendent Tim Bruce said he had not seen the data and could not comment on the reason. However, both schools’ American Indian populations had failed the reading and math test for two years in a row. Last year, Bruce said Swinomish residents were concerned about a cultural bias in the state test.

Mount Vernon School District

Every one of Mount Vernon School District’s campuses failed to meet federal targets. Lincoln Elementary School entered federal sanctions for the first time.

Frederick said that was because more than 100 students from Centennial Elementary School moved to Lincoln to balance school populations last year. Many of the new students are non-native English speakers, who tend to not do as well on the tests.

Mount Baker Middle School, while in the highest category of school improvement, increased pass rates of its students in four categories, limited English math and reading, special education math and Hispanic reading.

Frederick said the middle school’s teachers have been focusing more on individual students as part of the school’s improvement plan.

Mount Vernon High’s graduation rate was also considered unacceptable, at 63 percent.

Sedro-Woolley School District

The school that appears to have improved the most in the entire county is Mary Purcell Elementary School. Last year, for the first time, the school’s students failed to meet federal test pass rates in seven different categories. This year, the school only missed one, Hispanic Math.

Kathy Ehman, the district’s assistant superintendent, drilled down into the data and realized it was a small subgroup of students in one grade that tipped the scores against the school.

“The part that really hurts is having to send a letter to parents saying we didn’t make improvement,” Ehman said. “They made huge improvements.”

In order for a school to get out of improvement status, its students must meet test pass rates for two years in a row.

“Once you go down this road, (the law) makes it challenging to go back,” Ehman said.

Districts have a couple of months to appeal the adequate yearly progress results to the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

To view individual school results, visit http://report card.ospi.k12.wa.us, and select AYP from the tab above, then select the school district and the school.

• Kate Martin can be reached at 360-416-2145 or at . The Associated Press contributed to this report.