By Andrew Coen
Further complicating the matter this year is that the revised exams were also given to students in grades 3 through 7 for the first time as required under the federal "No Child Left Behind Act."
On the new challenging exam, Lawrence's 4th-graders showed a 12 percent drop, from 92 to 80 percent, of students meeting state standards and a seven-point dip in the 8th-grade results, from 63 to 56 percent. Hewlett-Woodmere 4th-graders showed a slight improvement on the more rigorous test, from 95 to 96
percent meeting state standards. Results showed that 8th-graders stayed on par with last year's students with 85 percent meeting the standards.
"We are not pleased with these results," said Dr. Vicki Karant, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction in Lawrence.
Karant said she and her staff will look to improve performance on the math exams next year by tracking individual students on the state's new educational data base system expected to be launched shortly. She also said she would like to be able to incorporate new cutting-edge technology which has been used in other districts for teaching math but has not been utilized in Lawrence because of the constraints of being on a contingency budget the last four years. Karant also said she hopes an outside consultant, which the school board is considering hiring to help enhance student performance, could also help improve scores.
Dr. Joyce Bisso, Hewlett-Woodmere's assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, said that despite the district's success on the exams, the assessments are only one part of tracking student progress. "Any single event test whether it be a classroom test or a state test has a single event value," said Dr. Bisso. "[The tests] need to be kept in perspective."
"We have full confidence that the district is meeting the needs of our students," said Michelle Maiorano, co-president of the Hewlett-Woodmere Central Council PTA.
Kathy Marky, co-president of the Lawrence Central Council PTA, said that while she would like to see better results, third- to eighth-graders being tested every year might be going overboard. "Maybe they need to re-think testing all grades," said Marky.
Marky added that while the 8th-grade results for Lawrence were disappointing, the low numbers for that grade level were the same across the state and could be attributed to the awkward period of adolescence the children go through at that time. "The 8th grade situation is not unique to Lawrence," said Marky. "To have all that stress, not just going through adolescence but also these tests."
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