By DEBBIE ROSEN
O'side, I.P results indicate districts inching toward improvement
During their second try at the New York State Education Department's new math exams, students from both Oceanside and Island Park made the grade. The results released Thursday, October 12, indicate students from both districts have continued to move toward the bar raised by the state to measure future success.
At the elementary level, student performance hurdled over that bar, with fourth-graders in both districts nearing or exceeding 90 percent scoring a "passing" grade. Eighth-graders also upped their scores, exceeding the state average but with a long way to climb.
Last year, administrators weighed their disappointing first-year scores on the eighth- grade tests and adjusted their approaches to math.
Oceanside School District math results
All fourth-grade classes in the six Oceanside elementary schools had at least 90 percent of students scoring a passing grade, with all but one school exceeding that number. Compared with last year, one school's percentage remained constant, three schools had more students scoring a passing grade, and two schools percentages' dropped by a couple of points.
The math test is scored in four levels. Students scoring in levels 1 and 2 are considered in need of remedial help if they are to meet new graduation requirements the state is phasing in. Students scoring in levels 3 and 4 meet or exceed the standards.
While School #8 scored the same as last year on the state test with 94 percent passing, schools #4 and #9E dropped four and three points, respectively, but still had more than 90 percent of students passing. School # 3, at 95 percent, gained an additional percentage point of students passing.
The largest percentage gains in students passing were in schools #5 and #2. School #2 rose from 88 percent passing last year to 92 percent this year. School #5 soared, with 92 percent of students passing, after only 77 percent passed last year.
Steven Kriss, principal of School #5, said the bottom line is not a
score but a student. "These test scores are only numbers. Behind them are individual children. What's important is what the children have achieved," he said.
Scores on eighth-grade tests were somewhat encouraging, with 58 percent of students scoring a passing grade, up from last year's 49 percent, but Superintendent Dr. Herb Brown said the state simply expected too much too soon.
"What happens between fourth and eighth grade? Math becomes more complicated and our curriculum did not tie in with the state's, but we were clearly not given enough time by the state to prepare the students," Dr. Brown said.
Statewide only 40 percent of students met or exceeded the standards.
Because of a low percentage of passing scores last year at the eighth-grade level, the Oceanside School District reevaluated its approach to math and implemented short- and long-term plans for improvement in meeting the new standards.
Last year, eighth-graders were provided with review classes both during the day and after school hours. Along with staff development days, this served as a short-term answer. In the long run, Dr. Brown said the district's goal of improvement required a long-range plan and the implementation of two additional math programs.
Mathland, a program taught in kindergarten through fourth grade last year, was extended into the fifth grade this year. A Connected Mathematics Program is now in place for students in grades six through eight. These programs are problem-solving and activity- based ways of teaching math. New books accompany the Connected Mathematics Program, as younger students utilize manipulative materials where appropriate.
"Two things are going on in the classroom," said Dr. David Wayne,
district math chairperson. "The program itself goes a long way, but it's the way a teacher asks questions which makes kids respond. And kids are taking tests more in line with state assessments."
Last year, Oceanside eighth-graders took a midterm mimicking the state test, allowing teachers to identify those students who might not make the passing level in the eyes of the state education department. These children were invited to attend after-school lessons, but not required to do so.
Additionally, in March, teachers introduced lessons modeled after the state's test.
Dr. Wayne said the district's best accomplishment is the progress made at the lowest level of performance. Last year, 12 percent of eighth-graders in Oceanside landed in level 1. This year that number not only was cut in half, but, each individual student landing in level 1, many with special needs, was evaluated to find out exactly why level 2 or higher was not achieved on the state test.
All schools in Oceanside are devoting more time during the day to
mathematics, and middle-school class periods have been extended in all major subjects.
Island Park School District math results
The percentage of Island Park fourth-graders scoring a passing grade on the state test remained about the same this year but did not fall into the state trend of going down. A three percent gain in levels 3 and 4 brought the total percent "passing" up to 88.
In Island park, two students received a perfect score on the state test.
To learn exactly where students fell short, Nassau Board of Cooperative Educational Services is conducting an item analysis for the district, according to Acting Superintendent of School Dr. Edward Price. The analysis is essential to provide specific intervention services needed for a particular student.
For example, a student who missed passing the test by just a few points would need different help than a child scoring on the lowest level of the test.
At the middle-school level, 19 percent more of students scored in levels 3 and 4 combined, bringing the total to 62 percent, up from 43 percent the first year. Dr. Price said it is important to realize Island Park's middle-school population totals only 77 students.
As in Oceanside, Dr. Price agreed there is a need for change in the way math is taught. In its first two years, the state's test asked students to not only solve a problem, but required a step-by-step description of how the child arrived at that answer. A middle-school math committee formed two years ago and composed of teachers told the district there was a clear need for change. During the summer, that committee looked over the math curriculum to make sure it follows the correct sequence required by the new standards.
As the Island Park district investigates portions of math that some students may have struggled with, Dr. Price guards against taking a single test grade to heart.
"I don't think kids should be judged on the basis of one test," said Dr. Price. "It's not to say we shouldn't be assessed, but to be assessed on the basis of one test on one day ... that's just not right."
