Almost two-thirds of Hawai'i's public schools missed their goals this year under the federal No Child Left Behind Act — the worst showing yet — even though far more schools achieved higher test scores.

Results released yesterday also showed that 16 more schools face takeover by the state after consistently falling short of state goals. That increases the total number of campuses under the most stringent penalty of No Child Left Behind to 40.

The apparent contradiction — more schools improving but more missing their goals — is due in part to tougher expectations this year, which required nearly 50 percent more students to meet standards in reading and nearly three times as many in math. If the guidelines had not changed, 194 schools would have met the standards this year, up from 147 last year and 109 in 2003.

Education officials pointed out that although some schools slipped in their rankings, more than half the schools remain in good standing under NCLB, pending next year's test results.

According to the preliminary school-by-school test results released yesterday by the Department of Education, 94 of 279 public schools across the state made adequate progress under NCLB, which has become a driving force to boost student performance nationally. Results for three schools are pending.

The results show that elementary schools far outperformed middle and high schools, 68 schools slipped in their status and Neighbor Island schools fared particularly badly. Only 20 of 105 Neighbor Island schools were able to meet the higher standards, and no schools on two islands — Moloka'i and Lana'i — met their goals.

Although more Hawai'i schools now face sanctions under the federal law, the test results did reveal some bright spots.

East Honolulu schools continued to shine, with all schools in the Kalani and Kaiser high school complexes meeting the state's academic standards.

On the Leeward Coast, where schools have traditionally struggled, three elementary schools made their goals for the first time and another, Leihoku Elementary, lifted itself into good standing.

Three other schools, Jefferson, Kaumana and Pahoa elementaries, also achieved good standing after being on the brink of restructuring — or state takeover.

"They give hope to every other school in the state that, 'Yes, we can do it,' " said Robert McClelland, director of the DOE's Planning and Evaluation office.

This latest round of Hawai'i State Assessment scores illustrates the challenge the state faces in meeting the demands of No Child Left Behind, which mandates that every school must demonstrate "adequate yearly progress" until 2014, when all students are expected to meet proficiency in core subjects.

DOE officials said the results were not a complete surprise because the threshold has gone up so much.

"The bar was raised so dramatically," McClelland said. "If you think of it as a high jump, the bar is going from 5 feet to 7 feet."

But next year the picture could be brighter because the threshold will remain the same, DOE spokesman Greg Knudsen said.

The Board of Education praised the improvement shown at many of the schools. "We should pat the heads of all the kids who have done well," said member Herbert Watanabe.

The penalty for not meeting the coveted AYP carries more than a stigma. It is costly for the state, which is already paying $7.9 million to three private education companies that have assumed management of 24 of the most struggling schools.

These schools are seeing their curriculum revamped, extra tutoring provided for students and teachers offered professional enrichment programs. Also, schools are focusing more on individual student progress, which means frequent assessments to make sure the children are on track.

Superintendent Pat Hamamoto said the state will not automatically bring in an outside education company for the 16 schools that have been added to the restructuring list.

A DOE team will assess the test scores and help come up with a strategy based on what the schools are already doing.

"They all have an intervention plan, and we will strengthen it, beef it up, and then help them do whatever we can this year," she said.

Next year, those needing comprehensive support may get outside help, but those with fewer needs will receive extra support from the DOE.

"Cost is always a factor ... but the base reason is that the data will tell us what we need to do," Hamamoto said. "It's no longer, 'You goofed up, so here's a provider.' "

Principal Keith Hayashi of Waipahu Elementary, which didn't meet AYP standards for the second year in a row, said he was nonetheless pleased at gains students made over the past three years, including low-income and English as a Second Language students. His school population includes 500 children whose first language is not English.

"What's important is we're showing this growth, and I attribute it to our hard-working teachers," Hayashi said. "They're continually looking at the curriculum and tailoring it to our students' diverse needs. We met today and they're still as committed as ever."

Some educators have complained that the goals under NCLB are nearly impossible to meet and that there's too much emphasis on testing.

Not only must schools reach ever-increasing goals for the school as a whole, but they must do so for 37 subgroups defined by ethnicity, poverty levels, English proficiency or special-education needs. If any of the 37 defined subgroups is deficient, the school is labeled as not achieving AYP.

This year, the NCLB targets in both reading and math jumped significantly. Instead of 10 percent of a school's students meeting math standards, 28 percent had to meet them; and instead of 30 percent of a school's students meeting reading standards, 44 percent had to meet them if the school was to meet new overall goals.

These levels will remain the same for the next two years before they increase again.

Overall trends showed that schools extending from Kaimuki all the way through Kahala and Hawai'i Kai to Koko Head all met the goals for this year, but these were the only areas in the state where all schools are on target.

By contrast, in the Waipahu area, all schools except August Ahrens Elementary failed to make adequate progress, while no schools in the Nanakuli complex made adequate progress this year, slipping slightly from last year.

Neighbor Island schools fared especially poorly.

On Maui, only Ha'iku and Kula elementary schools made adequate progress, while no schools on Moloka'i and Lana'i met standards.

On Kaua'i, only three schools met the standards: Hanalei, Kilauea and Kalaheo elementaries, but it's the only island with no schools in restructuring.

On the Big Island, meanwhile, in the Honoka'a area, no schools met AYP this year, while last year all but Honoka'a High and Intermediate met the standards.

Four schools now in restructuring — Hau'ula, Kahalu'u and Kealakehe Elementary schools and Jarrett Middle — made AYP.

Hau'ula Elementary principal Bradley Odagiri was delighted and credited much of his school's success to a new reading program with a strong emphasis on phonics that was established schoolwide two years ago.

Meanwhile, Jarrett teachers returning from summer break yesterday had a small celebration after learning their school had made AYP for the first time.

"They're very ecstatic," said principal Gerald Teramae, who credited teachers with the accomplishment. "As administrators, we can provide the resources, but the teachers are the ones that are closest to the kids. They are the ones who impact the academic achievement of the kids the most."

Jarrett met AYP through "safe harbor," which gives allowances to schools that did not meet the targets, but significantly improved student performance. "The goal for this school year is to meet the benchmarks ... and leave no questions about the positive, proactive things we're doing here at Jarrett Middle School," Teramae said.

DOE officials have yet to determine whether improper coaching and other improprieties discovered at a handful of schools last spring influenced their test scores. Scores for two schools that had to retake portions of the test are forthcoming.

Scores also are being awaited for Linapuni Elementary, which only has kindergarten through the second grade, and must be assessed differently.

Individual scores released two weeks ago sparked a call for changes in the state's method of assessing students. The DOE is in the midst of re-evaluating what it deems most essential for students to master in each grade level. This new set of standards — the third revision of the Hawa'i Content and Performance Standards — will be used as the basis for a new test to be rolled out in spring 2007.

"We're not saying let's make everything easier," DOE spokesman Knudsen said. "There will be the need for a new test because of the new standards, but they have not been reduced in difficulty."

Reach Treena Shapiro at tshapiro@honoluluadvertiser.com and Beverly Creamer at bcreamer@honoluluadvertiser.com.