By MIKE CAPUTO
"The ELA scores are in," she quickly said to a reporter. "They're through the roof!"
And rise they have. In East Meadow, ELA scores - the results of the state's standardized exams on English Language Arts for grades three through eight - exceeded the county's average for the tests, which were administered in January.
The key ELA statistic is the percentage of students who meet or exceed state standards for the exam, and in the middle school categories - grades six through eight - East Meadow ranked among the top 10 of the county's 56 school districts in those percentages. East Meadow's results equaled, and in some categories surpassed, those of districts like Jericho, Great Neck and Roslyn, which have become known for posting top-notch test results.
Several East Meadow school officials said these were the best ELA test results in the district's history. Most categories reflected significant jumps from last year, especially in the Woodland and Clarke Middle Schools. The proportion of sixth-graders who met or exceeded state standards jumped 10 percentage points, from 86 in 2008 to 96 in 2009; seventh-graders improved by 12 percentage points, from 83 to 95; and eighth-graders by 10 percentage points, from 81 to 91.
Manouvrier explained that there has been an added emphasis on improving scores in middle school, a crucial learning period for students preparing for high school and, eventually, college. "I think that is very, very telling because we are preparing our kids for college-bound courses and so forth, and getting them ready for that kind of preparation," she said.
One key factor behind the improvement in test scores was the district's implementation of the Australian United States Services in Education, or AUSSIE, balanced literacy program, a strategy that began on the elementary level about five years ago and was in the middle schools about two years ago, Manouvrier said.
The balanced literacy program promotes reading through different modes of learning. A goal of the program is to build students into independent readers and writers.
Robin Natman, the district's director of literacy and funded programs, described a recent example of a teacher who read a poem to a class, and instructed the students to sketch their interpretation of each line, which was rich with figurative language. Following the reading and the sketch interpretations, the teacher explained what the poem was about. The students were then able to connect their interpretations with others, as well as the intent of the poet.
Natman explained that most teachers have embraced the balanced literacy program because it incorporates test preparation into the everyday curriculum. "It wasn't like it was separate test preparation," she said. "Everything was immersed in the poetry, literature and novels. Every day, they were getting ready for the
assessment."
Teachers and administrators have made a concerted effort to analyze data from past test results and use it to improve students' performance. Past tests are also used as benchmark exams, administered to students in preparation for the assessment. And the district's after-school and weekend academy has helped many students develop and improve important test-taking skills and study methods.
School superintendent Leon Campo, an East Meadow administrator for more than 30 years, applauded Manouvrier, the curriculum staff and the teachers for guiding the district into the upper echelon of ELA test results. "From my perspective, it is rewarding that our staff has worked to put together a program to improve literacy in young people, and we have stayed with it," Campo said. "This isn't a one-year thing. It is working and it is basically the true reward in public education when you know the light bulb has gone on in children and you can see it in their eyes and in the results of tests."
Manouvrier and her fellow educators now anxiously await the results of the state math assessment. East Meadow has historically performed well in math, she said, though she added that she did not want to speak too soon, before the results are released, sometime later this month or in June.
"I am cautiously optimistic," she said.
Comments about this story? MCaputo@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 287.
