State test scores drop dramatically

Scores on this year’s standardized New York State English Language Arts and Mathematics tests for grades three through eighth decreased markedly compared to last year’s, but state education officials say, however, that “compared” is the wrong word to use when measuring 2011-2012 against 2012-2013 scores.

State Education Commissioner John B. King said in a prepared statement, “There may be some who try to use today’s results to attack principals and teachers. That would be wrong. The changes in scores do not mean that schools have taught less or that students have learned less.

King pointed out that the results do not reflect a decrease in performance for schools or students. “The new assessments are a better, more accurate took for educators, students and parents as they work together to address the rigorous demands of the Common Core and college and career readiness in the 21st century.”

Educators view these scores as a fresh start as the Common Core Learning Standards are implemented to help students be better prepared for higher education and the work world.

“The world has changed, the economy has changed and what our students need to know has changed,” Board of Regents Merryl Tisch said. “These scores reflect a new baseline and a new beginning. These proficiency scores do not reflect a drop in performance, but rather a raising of standards to reflect college and career readiness.”

In the Lawrence School District, the percentage of Level 1 students — those not meeting the standards — increased dramatically in every subset tested from grade three ELA through grade eight math. In 2011-12, 9.9 percent of eighth grade math students scored at Level 1. This year it was 47.2 percent.

“Everything changed at once with the Regents reform agenda and the change in assessments,” said Dr. Ann Pedersen, the district’s assistant superintendent of Academic Affairs. “There was very limited information about how the tests would change. The shift in the way the students were asked to respond was evident in the sharper decline in the math scores.”