By Andrew Hackmack
The percentage of students passing exceeded the county average in fourth, fifth and sixth grade, and was a point below the county average in third grade. The district serves mostly Malverne residents.
Assistant Superintendent Linda Roth said that the continued upswing in results is very positive.
In third grade, where students took their first ELA assessment, 87 percent achieved either a Level 3 or 4.
Roth said that it is important to follow how a particular group of students do on the state tests. For example, this year’s sixth-grade class, which passed at a 95 percent rate, has improved every year. As third graders in the 2005-06 school year, that group had an 88 percent passing rate.
The current fourth- and fifth-grade students have also shown improvement since the initial third-grade test, Roth noted. She said that teacher and administrators have worked hard to align the curriculum to state standards, and to ensure that students are developing the literacy skills they need to be successful.
“I also think the parents play a strong part,” she said. “Everyone has created an environment where children are excelling.”
Roth said that when one analyzes the test scores, it is important to understand the make-up of each class. For members of the public, that is easier to decipher when the state releases the school district report cards each summer, and analyzes the demographics of each grade level.
At least 15 percent of students in each grade level scored in Level 4, the top achievement level on the test. The best mark was 26 percent in sixth grade. As for the lowest achievement level, no students in fifth or sixth grade were at that mark, while just two percent of third-graders and one percent of fourth-graders scored in Level 1.
“I was extremely pleased,” Roth said of the overall results. “The district is really working hard to focus on literacy development for children. But every time we’re pleased, we want to go further.”
