By Liz McBreen
According to the state standardized tests, students scoring at level one, are considered to have serious reading and writing deficiencies. Those scoring at level two fall below the state standards and are lacking full mastery of these skills, and students who score at level three and four are meeting and surpassing the state's academic standards
In Elmont, 17 percent more students scored at levels three and four as opposed to last year. An average of about 55 percent of students in the district scored level three, and about 25 percent scored at level four this year.
Superintendent of the Elmont school district, Dr. Maria Palandra explained the recent enhancements that have been put in place in the Elmont curriculum. "We have come up with a single lesson plan for all students in the district, and teachers are being trained how to set goals and assess the progress of the students. These efforts together with the co-operation of parents in after school programs are greatly improving the academic excellence of the students, and it is beginning to show."
Palandra added that strong efforts are being made so that what the students are learning will be reflected in the test scores. She also cautioned that it is easy to misread the scores on standardized tests such as these. She explained that particularly in Elmont, there is a continuous influx of new students into the schools. "Sometimes students come in one week before the test, sometimes one month before, and they do not take the test with the same knowledge and preparation as the other students."
When asked if she thinks that the standardized tests are a positive tool for students and educators, Palandra said, "I think that holding high standards in schools is the way to go."
State Education Commissioner Richard Mills, as he released the scores last week, noted that minority groups and students who are usually low-performing made general improvements on the tests. He also showed concern for the percentage of eighth grade students meeting state standards remaining low, while many middle school districts showed declines in the number of students scoring at level three or higher. The results in Franklin Square, Elmont and West Hempstead reflect this statewide trend.
On the eighth grade level, the number of students scoring at level three or four dropped by 14 percent in West Hempstead leaving 45 percent of students who are meeting state standards, and those scoring level three or four also dropped in the Sewanhaka school district by 3 percent. Fifty-five percent of these students met New York State academic standards.
There was a 5 percent increase of Franklin Square elementary students scoring at level three or four and a 7 percent increase in West Hempstead. The overall percentage of students in these districts meeting the state standards is 88 and 86 respectively.
In general, schools across Long Island made modest improvements on both the fourth and eighth grade level. Nassau County's fourth grade students achieved top ranking statewide in terms of meeting or surpassing the state's new higher standards, and the eighth graders came in second, behind Putnam County students.
