By Andrew Coen
Hewlett-Woodmere School District also saw substantial improvement in its fourth-grade ELA results, jumping from 76 percent of students meeting state standards last year to 90 percent in 2005. The district's eighth-grade results also improved, from 69 to 77 percent.
Lawrence's eighth-grade ELA results dropped slightly, from 59 percent meeting state standards in 2004 to 58 percent this year.
"We're really very proud of our fourth-grade performance," said Michelle Lineal, Lawrence's assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction. "I'm really, really proud of how the kids performed."
As the main reasons for the improvements, Lineal cited new benchmarks established by the district and the study of data to see how students performed on previous tests.
Of the elementary schools, the Number Five School in Cedarhurst performed the best, with 95 percent of its students meeting state standards. "I was jumping up and down, I was so excited," said Number Five School Principal Melissa Kreiger. "I'm just ecstatic about the results."
The Number Six School reported that 87 percent of its fourth-graders met or exceeded state standards, compared with 66 percent last year. The school is also attended by students who were enrolled in the Number One School, which was closed last June under a consolidation plan to save the district money. The Number Two School in Inwood reported that 75 percent of its students met state standards, compared with 72 percent a year ago.
Kreiger, who took over as principal last July, attributed part of the success of her students to the teachers' studying of previous exams taken by the students to determine their strengths and weaknesses and what subjects they needed help in. "The teachers provided so much extra help before school and after school," said Kreiger. "I'm most proud of the collaborative effort that the teachers and parents took, and how they worked together."
Lineal said she hopes to see improvement in the eighth grade next year as a result of a new 90-minute block schedule, which will redistribute the amount of instructional time at the middle school.
"We are thrilled with the improvement in our test scores," said Nikki Greene Douglas, co-president of Lawrence Central Council PTA. "Teachers and administrators worked very hard to prepare our students, and obviously the hard work paid off."
Greene Douglas also said that with the improved student achievement that the community wanted to see, there is no reason why residents should not approve the proposed budget, which is up for a revote after being rejected on May 17.
"Now that this goal [of improving student achievement] has been met and the Board of Education put up a very reasonable budget which failed, it proves that the community does not care about the education or the well-being of our students," said Greene Douglas.
Hewlett-Woodmere
The 14-percentage-point rise in Hewlett-Woodmere's fourth-grade results comes one year after the district saw a 10-percentage-point drop. Woodmere Middle School eighth-graders showed a 9-percentage-point increase, from 68 to 77 percent meeting or exceeding state standards, one year after a 2-percentage-point improvement.
Ogden Elementary School in Valley Stream showed the greatest improvement in the district's fourth-grade results, rising from 70 percent meeting or exceeding state standards last year to 94 percent in 2005. In Hewlett Elementary School, 88 percent of fourth-graders met the standards, compared with 81 percent a year ago.
"One of the goals of the district is to meet the state's requirements, and they have clearly done so in this case," said Melissa Gates, Ogden PTA co-president.
Hewlett-Woodmere school board President Howard Weinick said in a prepared statement that while he is happy with the students' performance, he is disturbed by the emphasis placed on standardized tests. "We are happier when test scores go up rather than go down," Weinick said. "We are very proud of the achievements of our students and the work of our staff. That being said, the standardized testing situation is a system out of control. I have said for years that our aim should be to help every child reach their full potential, wherever that might place them on a standardized test. Full potential means not just subject area book knowledge, which I do value highly, but also development as a whole child.
"Our charge is to give each student the best possible education," Weinick's statement continued. "It is a sad day when schools sacrifice the well-rounded education of a child for a few points on a standardized test. True student assessment should be done with a variety of educational tools. There is great value in knowing how well we are doing our job and where we need to make improvements."
Starting in 2006, standardized reading and math tests will be given yearly to all students from third to eighth grades as part of the requirements set forth by the No Child Left Behind Act, which was passed by Congress and signed by President Bush in 2002. School officials from all over the state have expressed concerns about implementing the new test requirements, since state and federal aid is decreasing in many districts.
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