By Angela Marshall
"It's a real credit to teachers and the building administration," said William Johnson, superintendent of schools. "There is a tremendous sense of pride in having our kids become better readers and writers."
With 95 percent of students passing the exam, Rockville Centre had the third-highest passing rate in Nassau County, behind only Jericho, 98 percent, and Roslyn, 96 percent. "We are a very different school district than the ones we are compared with," Johnson said.
The superintendent said the key to the success is teaching around the test and "developing levels of competence." He said if you just prepare for the test, students will fall short.
In order to achieve success for all students, he said the teachers have to be 100-percent committed to having every child reach Level 4. He said he sees this in the RVC staff.
Watson School Principal Joan Waldman agreed. "My entire staff here is doing an outstanding job," she said. "It's a combined effort in the building parents, support staff and classroom teachers."
Now the district staff intends to concentrate on the 11 students who did not meet the standards and on continued improvements that can bring even more students into the top level next year. Johnson said the staff will not be satisfied until all students reach the top rung.
All schools perform well
The exam has four levels of scoring. Two children, one from Wilson and one from Hewitt, scored in Level 1, which indicates serious academic deficiencies.
Nine students placed in Level 2, which indicates the need for extra help to meet the standards and pass the Regents exams in high school. Of these students, four are from Wilson, three from Covert and two from Hewitt.
Ninety-seven students placed in Level 3, meeting state standards. According to the state guidelines, their writing is "generally focused and organized, with minor errors." Of these students, 30 are from Hewitt, 7 from Riverside, 14 from Watson, 10 from Covert and 36 from Wilson.
Hewitt, the district's largest school with 73 exam takers, had 40 students achieve the highest level. Of Riverside's 26 students, 19 placed in Level 4. Twenty-two of Watson's 36 students and 24 of Covert's 37 also made it to the top. Wilson had 27 of its 68 students place in Level 4.
