Associated Press
 
February 8, 2010
 
PORTLAND, Ore. -- The Oregon Department of Education says Portland's school district still isn't meeting federal standards for students learning English.
 
In a letter to Portland Public Schools last month, state officials said the district had fixed only some of the problems listed in a 2009 audit. And it says new findings report that some students are leaving the English Language Learner program without evidence they had learned the language. The state says it plans to
withhold about $600,000 in federal money for the district until the changes are made.
 
District officials tell The Oregonian that the school system has been working on the problems, and they believe the district can be in compliance by March 1.