State exam standards still a 'challenge'

Local school districts say they are stepping up their games following the release of scores on state math and English tests given in the spring to students in third through eighth grades.

Test results were mixed in the Malverne and West Hempstead school districts. While scores went up slightly in some areas, they dropped significantly in others, leaving administrators with the task of re-examining their instructional practices and teacher evaluations.

In Malverne, for example, the percentage of eighth-grade students considered proficient in math — those with scores of 3 or 4 on the statewide exams — rose by 18 percentage points, and in West Hempstead by 4.5 percentage points. In both districts, the proportion of eighth-graders who were proficient in the English Language Arts exam fell — by nearly 4 percentage points in Malverne and 2 percentage points in West Hempstead.

The mixed results for the eighth grade follow the trend across Long Island, where the proportion of third- to eighth-grade students who scored 3 or 4 in math increased, but dropped in ELA. But not all of the other grade levels followed that trend: The passing percentage of the fifth and sixth grades in ELA in both districts rose this year, while that of seventh-graders in both subjects fell. School administrators said that a number of factors played a role in this year’s scores, among them the new test format, which was longer, with more multiple-choice and essay questions.

On average, though, the drops in passing percentages in both math and ELA were less drastic than the year before. In 2009-10, the State Education Department changed the scoring format of the exams, substantially raising the cut score — the raw score required for a student to be deemed proficient. As a result, across the state, proficiency in math and ELA dropped by about 25 percent compared with 2008-09. School officials said it was unfair to compare the 2008-09 numbers with 2009-10, calling them “apples and oranges.”

But the format for the 2009-10 tests was similar, for the most part, to those given this spring, so why did some of the scores still fall? According to Malverne Superintendent Dr. James Hunderfund, the reason is simple: reaching the state’s new standard for proficiency takes work and time, and the districts have had only one year to adjust.

“If you look at the median score, the average person would say, ‘Well that’s relatively low,’ but if you look at the new standard and you know that children have to get, essentially, 88 percent correct answers to be able to get a Level 3 score, then you can understand why the English and math [scores] don’t come up as high,” Hunderfund said. “That’s almost like for me to say, How many children graduate from high school with an 88 average or better? Usually not much more than 20 percent of the class. So here we’re being asked to have 100 percent of the class get an 88 or better.”

After evaluating the 2009-10 scores, Malverne school officials took a number of steps to boost test preparation, including offering more Academic Intervention Services, remedial help and supplemental instruction with after-school and Saturday classes. “We pushed very hard,” Hunderfund said. “The teachers worked on it with great enthusiasm. I know the children were sick of going over things for the test, and we had parents who expressed concern that we were looking at testing and the state requirements too much. We felt we were doing what most other districts were doing in terms of prioritizing.”

Administrators decided to take it a step further for the coming year after seeing what Hunderfund called “flat scores” on the 2010-11 tests: Much to the chagrin of some parents, the district cut art, music and library instruction time in order to make more room for test preparation. At the school board’s July 12 meeting, where parents voiced opposition to the cuts, PTA mother Laura Avvinti told administrators that the cuts would be counterproductive because children need “creative outlets” to learn better.

“If you burn them out,” Avvinti said, “your test scores are only going to go down.”

Malverne Deputy Superintendent Richard Banyon told parents at a recent Board of Education meeting that, while he agrees “wholeheartedly” that children need creative education, meeting state standards is a priority. If the district fails to meet those standards, Banyon said, it could be designated as a district “in need.”

The situation is similar in West Hempstead, where school officials created an achievement plan to address the severe drop in scores from 2008-09 to 2009-10. Throughout the last school year, in preparation for the spring assessment exams, administrators were “constantly in the classrooms,” according to Superintendent John Hogan. They worked on teachers’ professional development and created a districtwide strategic plan.

Assistant Superintendent Ann Peluso said that the district added midterm exams at the middle school to evaluate student progress. It also created pacing guides and curriculum maps to ensure that students were progressing on the same level at the same pace.

Both districts are in the process of evaluating the latest test results. Hunderfund and Peluso both intend to review teachers’ as well as students’ strengths and weaknesses and develop strategies that teachers can implement in the classroom.

“We’re going to meet with several of our teachers in the coming weeks and look at what we did, where we can improve and what we should be doing different for the future,” Hunderfund said. “This level of challenge has to be met. … We want to do better, we will do better and we are determined to do better.”

Peluso also had a positive outlook. “Am I optimistic? I’m always optimistic,” she said. “I feel that our students are capable of doing very well, and I think we have a great staff, and we just have to make sure that we have all the elements working together at top efficiency to continue to improve every year.”