By:Jeff Lipton
Lawrence Public Schools showed the steepest drop in the county in the percentage of students meeting state standards on the fourth-grade English Language Arts exam.
The district went from 80 to 73 percent of the students meeting or exceeding state standards and considered on track to pass the Regents in their high school years.
Fourth- graders who took the test in Hewlett-Woodmere School District showed a six-point improvement, from 83 percent in 2000 to 89 percent in 2001.
Only eight of the county's 53 school districts scored lower on the ELA in 2001 than 2000 and Lawrence's decline was the greatest.
Dr. Paul Kelleher, Lawrence Public Schools superintendent, said it is not fair to compare the students who took the exam in 2000 with those who were given the test this year. "It's a different group of kids on a one-year basis. It's an apples-to-oranges comparison," said Kelleher.
In addition, he said, the passing score is an "arbitrary number" established by the state "on no rational basis."
The ELA exam, which has been administered each January for the past three years, includes exercises in which the students listen and take notes, read and write essay-style answers. Students who finished at levels 1 or 2 fail to meet state standards and are in need of remediation and extra help and may be in jeopardy of flunking the Regents. A Regents diploma will soon be one of the requirements for graduation. Those who reach level three and four are well on track to pass the Regents.
Kelleher contends that to evaluate a child's learning over the course of a year based on one test on one day is "highly problematic at best."
"Of course, we hoped scores would always improve," he said. "It doesn't give us enough information or in what areas they did poorly. It's not helpful. Next year, they may do 14 points better. We could see a roller-coaster of scores."
"People are very concerned and we're trying to boost the scores," Kelleher said.
In addition, he said the district is approaching 30 percent of students eligible for free and reduced lunch, which means the district's demographics are changing and more children who attend District 15 are in families at the poverty level. In addition, 24 percent are English As a Second Language students and the test results fail to take those numbers into account.
Of the 62 students who took the exam in the Number One School, 1.6 percent scored at level 1; 29 percent at level 2; 46.8 percent at level 3; and 22.6 percent at level 4. Of the 81 students given the ELA at the Number Two School, 2.5 percent scored at level 1; 22.2, level 2; 60.5, level 3; and 14.8, level 4.
In the Number Five School, of the 53 students who took the exam, zero scored at level 1; 11.3, level 2; 54.7, level 3; and 34, level 4. Of the 60 who took the test at the Number Six School, 5 percent scored at level 1; 25, level 2; 53.3, level 3 ; and 16.7, level 4.
Gerald Goldsmith, principal of the Number Five School, which showed the best results in the district, said he was extremely pleased that 88.7 percent scored at the top two levels. "It's a tribute to our fine teachers," Goldsmith said. "We have a very dedicated staff over here. We seem to be doing better and better. I also believe we are building a very strong foundation for success on the Regents exam for the future."
Dr. Kenneth Forman, principal of the Number Two School which finished second best in the district with 75 percent of the students reaching levels three or four, said, "I think the children worked very hard to attain the goal that they did. But there's always room for improvement."
The school has worked with the Teacher's College Reading and Writing Project at Columbia University, a teacher training school, which has allowed teachers to improve efforts to prepare students for the exam.
The district has a number of supplemental services to try to boost scores, Kelleher said. Remedial programs, after-school homework center, and extra help for students and teachers have all been implemented to help pump up scores.
"Obviously, we are not satisfied that the scores have gone down," said school board president Frank Argento, who added that students with limited English proficiency have an impact on the scores. I can't say we're doing a bad job. The programs are in place and the staff is trying to help the students."
Added board member Dr. David Sussman, "Everyone on the board agrees we always have to try to do better. We all wish the scores were better. This is only one test but we all want to go in reverse direction."
In Hewlett-Woodmere, of the 148 students who took the exam at Hewlett Elementary, 0.7 percent scored at level 1; 12.2, level 2; 50.7, level 3; and 36.5, level 4. Of the 106 who took the exam at Ogden Elementary, 2.8 percent scored at level 1; 6.6, level 2; 59.4, level 3; and 31.1, level 4.
Hewlett-Woodmere Schools Superintendent Dr. Charles Fowler attributes the six-point jump in scores to creating an early literacy profile of students starting with those enrolled in the Franklin Early Childhood Center. The students' progress is tracked, which helps school officials get an early indication on which students will need extra attention.
"We're only satisfied when 100 percent of the children succeed at the highest level," Fowler said. "But both schools showed strong results...We continue to identify the children that need support at both the elementary schools.
