State test scores rise

State test scores have increased significantly in the East Meadow School District since last year, when scores across the state dropped sharply following the implementation of the Common Core State Standards.

The 2013-14 school year marked the second year of testing in which the new standards were in effect.

The average math and English assessment scores for East Meadow students in grades three through eight — released by the state Department of Education on Aug. 14 — rose at all grade levels, with the exception of eighth-grade math. All grades easily exceeded the county averages.

Each grade saw more than half of its students pass the English exam, with eighth-graders having the highest passing rate, 56 percent. Last year, only two grades saw half of their students pass.

In math, more than two-thirds of East Meadow students received a passing mark in grades three through six, which did not happen in any grade last year. Fourth-graders were the most successful, with 74 percent passing.

Students earn one of four grades on the tests. A score of 3 or 4 is considered meeting or exceeding the state standards, while those scoring 1 or 2 have in past years been required to receive academic intervention services.

Superintendent Louis DeAngelo said he was extremely pleased with this year’s scores. “It’s a testament to the fine work of our teaching staff and to the commitment our teachers and parents and students have made to make this shift,” he said. “Test scores aren’t the be-all and end-all; it shows us that our students are doing well.”

Last year’s tests — the first incorporating the Common Core — were the focus of a firestorm of criticism from parents and educators statewide, with many arguing that students were tested on the new standards before they could fully learn them. The curriculum, according to the State Education Department, is designed to make students more “college and career ready.”