PROVIDENCE — In spite of all the rhetoric about the surge of illegal immigrants, the number of students who speak little or no English has decreased in Rhode Island over the past five years.

State and local education officials couldn’t explain why those numbers are declining, but some educators wondered whether Governor Carcieri’s crackdown on illegal immigrants, combined with the state’s abysmal job market, has contributed to the reduction.

Central Falls had about 1,000 students enrolled in English as a Second Language classes seven years ago; now, it has 600 students who fit that category. In Providence, the number has declined slightly over the past five years, from 16 percent to 14 percent of the total student population.

Nationally, however, this population has more than doubled over the past 10 years, especially in the Southeast, where 13 states saw a growth of more than 200 percent.

But Peter McWalters, Rhode Island’s commissioner of elementary and secondary education, said those numbers should not obscure very real performance gaps between English language learners and their fluent peers.

According to a national study by Education Week, an education policy magazine, only 13.8 percent of English language learners in Rhode Island scored proficient on a state math test compared with more than 50 percent of all students statewide. In reading, 11.3 percent of English language learners are proficient versus slightly more than 60 percent of all students statewide.

Nationally, only 9.6 percent of ESL fourth- and eighth-graders scored proficient or higher in math on a nationwide test and 5.6 percent scored proficient in English. Across the United States, 25 percent of all English language learners are failing to make progress toward English-language proficiency.

In Rhode Island, McWalters said, “We’re not in agreement that these kids are worth it because we are torn between a culture that’s says, ‘We don’t want you,’ and one that wants them to come here. We have to decide that these kids are worth it and that it is necessary to pay the bill.”

That said, Pawtucket and Central Falls are teaming up to teach middle and high school teachers how to think like ESL instructors.

“It’s making them all ESL teachers,” said Patricia Morris, the director of English as a Second Language in Central Falls. “They understand that they have to teach language skills as well as content — math or science.”

Meanwhile, Rhode Island College has agreed to offer ESL certification at a reduced cost to teachers in Pawtucket and Central Falls. As Morris said, “We’re trying to expand our pool of qualified candidates.”

But she suggested there is an inherent flaw in a system that measures students by a standard that she claims is impossible for them to meet.

“If an ESL student could meet the standard,” she said, “then they would no longer be classified as ESL. A student must take the math test regardless of how long they’ve been in this country. This is what drives ESL teachers crazy.”

English language learners are not a monolithic group, however. Nearly two-thirds are second- or third-generation Americans, with at least one parent born in the United States.

As a state, Rhode Island acknowledges that raising student achievement does call for a one-size-fits-all solution. In Providence, some children arrive in high school with little or no formal education in their native language, much less English. Other students have witnessed horrific violence and spent much of their childhood in refugee camps.

“We are not endorsing a bilingual program for everyone,” McWalters said. “What we are endorsing is a more sophisticated way to teach” English language learners.

The good news, he said, is that the leaders of urban districts such as Providence and Central Falls are looking for guidance in this area. In fact, the Department of Education has been working with urban school districts to fine-tune ESL instruction so it meets the needs of individual students.

As McWalters put it, “We are way beyond resistance. Providence School Superintendent Tom Brady is looking for help. Central Falls Superintendent Fran Gallo is leading it. The question is: Do we have the money and horsepower to do it?”

lborg@projo.com