By:Cindy J. Roth
Eight grade: Math Levels
# Tested Mean Score I II III IV III&IV
Bel -Mer CHSD 897 729 7.2 27.0 47.2 18.6 65.8
Grand Aveune MS 471 727 6.8 31.4 45.2 16.6 61.8
* 56 percent of public-school students in Nassau County met or exceeded state standards.
* 39.4 percent of public-school students in New York met or exceeded state standards, down slightly from last year's results.
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Eight grade: English Levels
# Tested Mean Score I II III IV III&IV
Bel-Mer CHSD 899 712 3.3 32.3 49.7 14.7 64.4
Grand Aveune MS 468 708 4.1 37.8 46.4 11.8 58.2
* 60 percent of public-school students in Nassau County met or exceeded state standards.
* 44.9 percent of public-school students in New York met or exceeded state standards, up slightly in Nassau County and stable statewide.
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Fourth grade: Math Levels
# Tested Mean Score I II III IV III&IV
Bellmore SD 190 672 1.6 11.6 42.1 44.7 86.8
Shore Road School 190 672 1.6 11.6 42.1 44.7 86.8
North Bellmore SD 345 687 0.6 2.9 40.9 55.7 96.6
Dinklemeyer 52 693 0 1.9 32.7 65.4 98.1
Jacob Gunther 34 703 0 2.9 29.4 67.6 97.0
Newbridge Road 64 674 1.6 7.8 54.7 35.9 90.6
Park Avenue 73 698 0 1.4 37.0 61.6 98.6
Saw Mill Road 121 681 0 1.7 43.0 55.4 98.4
* 89 percent of public-school students in Nassau County met or exceeded state standards.
* 69.1 percent of public-school students in New York met or exceeded state standards, an increase from last year's results.
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Fourth grade: English Levels
# Tested Mean Score I II III IV III&IV
Bellmore SD 186 664 1.6 24.7 58.8 19.9 78.7
Shore Road School 186 664 1.6 24.7 58.8 19.9 78.7
North Bellmore SD 343 682 1.7 11.7 48.4 38.2 86.6
Dinklemeyer 52 670 7.7 17.3 44.2 30.8 75.0
Jacob Gunther 34 701 0 5.9 38.2 55.9 94.1
Newbridge Road 62 675 0 16.1 58.1 25.8 83.9
Park Avenue 73 682 1.4 11.0 49.3 38.4 87.7
Saw Mill Road 121 686 0 9.1 47.9 43.0 90.9
* The number of public-school students meeting or exceeding state standards increased statewide.
Elementary scores on state exams rise; middle school results stagnate
Bellmore results on state exams in math and English for fourth- and eighth-graders show an increase in scores for elementary students and a stagnant performance for middle-school students.
The results, similar to most Nassau County school districts, have state officials calling for a more rigorous middle-school program, while district administrators question the state exams as an indicator of achievement, saying they're inaccurate.
The state exams use a four-level scoring system. Students scoring in levels one and two failed to meet state standards, those scoring in level three met state standards, and those scoring in level four exceeded state standards.
Middle-school results the same
Of last year's eighth-graders at Grand Avenue Middle School who took the state's English exam in January 2001, 58.2 percent met or exceeded state standards. Although the school's percentage of students scoring in levels three and four was above the statewide average, it fell just below Nassau County's average of 60 percent and 14 percentage points below Merrick Avenue Middle School's average of 72.1 percent.
Eighth-grade results for the state math exam mirrored those for the English exams. In the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District, 65.8 percent of eighth-grade students who took the math exam last January met or exceeded state standards.
In Grand Avenue Middle School, 61.8 percent of students scored in levels three and four, higher than the statewide average of 39.4, which was down slightly from last year's results, and Nassau County's average of 56 percent. Again, Grand Avenue Middle School's level three and four average was lower than Merrick Avenue Middle School's result, 71.2 percent.
Fred Cohen, deputy superintendent of curriculum and instruction for the Central School District, said the percentage difference between the two middle schools is not as wide as it might seem. A high percentage of students in Grand Avenue Middle School scoring in level two were only a few points away from making the level-three cutoff. Also, a state exams given in seventh grade, called the Test of New York State Standards, has consistently showed similar scores among students in both schools.
Elementary schools shine
Meanwhile, state-exam results show only high marks for Bellmore and North Bellmore elementary students in English and math. Of last year's fourth-graders, 86.8 percent in the Bellmore School District and 96.6 percent in the North Bellmore District met or exceeded state standards. The average among Nassau County fourth-graders meeting or exceeding the standard was 89 percent, and statewide, it was 69.1 percent.
For fourth-grade English test scores, North Bellmore's percentage of students scoring in levels three and four was 86.6 percent, while Bellmore's was 78.7 percent.
Sheldon Dumain, Bellmore superintendent, said he was especially displeased with the district's English scores, as they dropped about 10 percentage points from last year. Dumain said district educators will focus more on English in the third and fourth grades, and in addition to extra help that is available before school, after-school sessions will be offered.
"We want to be competitive with other schools," Dumain said. "We are bringing in consultants to work with our teachers and making sure parents communicate to children the importance of taking these tests seriously and reading the questions, not just picking an answer."
Dumain also said he was not surprised that in general math scores for both elementary districts were higher than the English scores. The English test was given for the first time, so it held surprises, while the math exam, an older test, had fewer. He added that it's often easier for younger students to grasp math before English concepts.
SUBHEAD: Dropping off
The drop in the percentage of students meeting or exceeding state standards from elementary to middle school - about 20 points -- is not confined to the Bellmores. Across New York State, fourth-grade test results in math and English are consistently superior to eighth-grade scores. Also, fourth-grade scores have risen in recent years, while those of eighth-graders have tended to remain the same or decline.
Statewide, 69.1 percent of fourth-grade students met or exceeded the math standard in January 2001; the previous year, that figure was 65 percent. English scores improved as well, from 58.7 percent in 2000 to 60 percent in 2001 among fourth-graders.
In state middle schools, 39.4 percent of students scored in levels three and four in math in January 2001, versus 40.3 percent in 2000. English results stayed unchanged at 44.9 percent.
Richard Mills, state education commissioner, said he is pleased with the gains elementary students have made in recent years, but is concerned about static middle-school scores.
"This is not just a seventh- or eighth-grade challenge," Mills said. "We need to look at grades five and six as well and know how they support what happens in later years."
School administrators attribute the drop in eighth grade to a testing overload that year and flaws in the state exam system.
Cohen, the Central assistant superintendent, said the eighth-grade tests are set up to be especially difficult.
The state Education Department is "putting more weight on low stake [middle-school] testing and making high-stake tests easier. Our Regents scores are high. To tell me that I'm doing a better job in my high schools than middle schools is ridiculous."
