By ANTHONY BOTTAN
The district, which enrolled 4,571 students, saw high numbers in standardized test results in a range of grades, and passing rates in nearly all subjects increased. Seventy-eight percent of eighth graders passed the state English test, matching the Nassau County Average. It was also an improvement of two percentage points from the prior year. On the statewide math exam, 81 percent of eighth-graders in the district passed the test, besting the county average of 78 percent.
"The district has made solid progress in this area," said Dr. Marc Bernstein, superintendent of schools.
At the high school level, 92 percent of students passed the English Regents, and 56 percent of students achieved mastery level -- scoring at least an 85 on the exam. The district fell fairly in line with the county, which posted a 92 percent passing rate and a 51 percent mastery rate. In the last year the district offered the Math A course, 94 percent of students passed the exam -- a mirror image of the county average. Student passing rate on the science and U.S. history Regents were 94 percent and 92 percent, respectively. Both of those marks were five percentage points higher than the county average.
"Even in the areas where we have high passing rates, we concentrate on improving the mastery levels," said Dr. Tom Troisi, assistant superintendent of curriculum. "That's indicative of the process we are making in critical thinking skills."
The district also graduated 90 percent of its seniors, and 92 percent of those graduated with a Regents diploma. Sixty percent of graduates earned an Advanced Placement diploma, which was slightly above the county average. The only drop-off the district had in comparison to the county average was how many students chose to attend a four-year, out-of-state college after high school. Only 15 percent of graduates enrolled in one of these schools while the county average was about 24 percent. Bernstein noted some reasons for the discrepancy.
"One reason could be economics," Bernstein said. "Out-of-state schools cost more and parents may choose to send their children to a local school."
Bernstein added that the difference in the county average may also be generational. There could be a lower percentage of parents who did not attend college, he said, so they might prefer to have their children schooled closer to home. However, Bernstein did not want to take away the value of education that Nassau Community College offers. "Nassau Community College provides great value, and we want to give the maximum opportunity to our children and show them what those opportunities are," he said.
Passing rates for all language exams were above 90 percent, and though passing rates were above average for the sciences, like physics and earth science, mastery rates were considerably lower. Board of Education Trustee Frank Chiachiere said that though mastery rates are lower, it should not be something to be alarmed at because those advanced sciences are optional. "The students are challenging themselves by taking these exams," Chiachiere said.
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