By:Andrew Coen
Controversy continues to swirl around the low scores on the state's 2003 physics Regents, as science experts have come forward with new theories on why students did so poorly. The passing rate statewide was 50 percent, down from 62 percent in 2002 and 85 percent in 2001.
At Hewlett High School, only 25 percent of students who took the test scored a passing mark of 65 or higher, and as a result, the school decided not to count the results on students' transcripts.
Lawrence High School opted not to administer the test this year, after a similar controversy over the questions occurred on the 2002 test.
Merik Aaron, a Hewlett Harbor lawyer and a former science educator, has some ideas on why the low test scores are occurring, pinpointing the defects on some of the exams. One reason Aaron sees for the results in subjects like math and science is the 1992 decision by then-education commissioner Dr. Thomas Sobol to break up the departments, a move the current education commissioner, Richard Mills, has maintained.
"Once they got rid of the science department, they don't have a specialist anymore," said Aaron. "Mills should stand up to the plate and say that this is not working. They don't have specialists, they have generalists."
Doug Reynolds, the chief of the former state bureau of science education from 1980 to 1993, thought Sobol's idea was such a bad one that he resigned on Jan. 6, 1993, after less than a year under the new system. "It destroyed the bureaus, because we not only had to do science, but we also had to be generalists," said Reynolds. "If you're doing this generalists' role, then you don't have time to deal with your primary responsibility in a heavy subject area, and over time it begins to unravel."
According to Reynolds, Sobol did not intentionally abolish the bureaus, but by trying to establish regional teams of educators, he ended up breaking them up.
"He wanted these regional teams, and you had to have people covering these teams, and where are you going to get them?" Reynolds asked. "You get them from the bureaus, and we didn't have enough time to prepare to deal with subject matters."
Before Sobol's decision to establish the regional teams, Reynolds was in charge of the science bureau, with associates specializing in the four instructional areas of physics, chemistry, biology and earth science Ñ one assigned to each. "When something went wrong or before something went wrong, you knew who to turn to," he said.
Hewlett-Woodmere Superintendent Dr. Charles Fowler agrees that not having specialists has been a factor in the low test scores. "The state education department has been decimated by cuts the last 10 years," said Fowler. "They don't have people in touch with the field. There used to be good communication between the department and the school district."
Eleven years after the bureaus were broken up, the Department of Education instead has assigned Deputy Commissioner Jim Kadamus as the head of testing, with associates assisting him. The associates, however, are not specialists in the different subject areas. They are combined with physics teachers across the state and outside consultants who all help to develop the exam, which the department of education says helps create a fair exam.
"You get the best of all three worlds," said Department of Education spokesman Jonathan Burman. "It assures the quality of the test."
Prior to becoming an attorney, Aaron built up an extensive background in science education. He was the supervisor of science for the Lawrence Public Schools and, along with Wayne Seyfert, started their Science Research Program. Aaron is also a past president of the Science Educational Leadership Associations for the county, state and nation. He has been honored as the outstanding science supervisor in the U.S., New York state and Nassau County, and was director of the National Science Teachers Association.
Aaron believes that test scores are low because some schools are not pro-active enough in trying to improve them. "You have to encourage your staff members to get involved in state organizations," he said. "They have to encourage teachers to go to the conferences, because they will learn about any changes being made to the test."
Aaron also thinks that Hewlett and Lawrence should consider becoming a pilot school to get a headstart on other school high schools. "I'm not saying that the exam is good; it's not, but at least being a pilot school gives you a leg up," he said. "Being a pilot school allows them to come up with some of the questions. It gives the school a two- to three-year edge on everybody else."
According to Fowler, teachers were brought together last year to help create the test, but the Department of Education rejected what they suggested. However, department spokesman Thomas Dunn denies this claim. "I'm not sure what he is talking about," he said. "Teachers were definitely involved with the process."
Aaron believes that the schools would improve their scores by teaching more to the test. "Every test should be cumulative," he said. "It's more work for the kids, but at the end of the year it will be like any other test these kids have taken. It's not the greatest way, but it's the best way to get them to pass."
Fowler is opposed to such an idea, and thinks putting so much emphasis on the test could come at the exclusion of hands-on learning. "I'm certainly against organizing the school curriculum totally around the test," he said. "I've seen arts programs, music programs and physical education classes lost as a result of this."
Even with these suggested changes, Aaron, like many in the state, thinks standardized tests such as the Regents are a bad idea. "It's making a mockery of the state education department," he said. "It stifles creativity. It cannot only hurt the students but also the teachers, because everybody is lock-step. I think it's a terrible idea, but as long as it's here, you have to find a way to deal with it."
Fowler is also very much opposed to the idea of the Regents. "Legal experts and scholars say you can't base high stakes decisions on one test," he said. "You need multiple ways of accessing what students can do."
Dunn doesn't see any harm in the physics exam or the Regents as a whole. "Nobody's high school graduation is in jeopardy because of the physics exam," he said. "The Regents are one of the means that the state uses to keep track of what is going on. This way colleges can accurately appraise students across New York State, because we are a very large state."
Hewlett High School Principal Joyce Bisso addressed the physics results earlier in a letter to parents and students. "A similar situation happened last year, and there were protests throughout the state," she wrote. "Unfortunately, the concerns were not addressed and several districts, including ours, joined in a lawsuit against the state which was later dismissed on procedural grounds without ever examining the merits of the complaint. Despite all of this, the 2003 test was Ôanchored' in the disputed 2002 test, with similar or worse results."
The physics results will not count toward the Hewlett students' final grades, and will not appear on the transcripts sent to colleges. The final grade for the physics Regents will instead be determined by averaging the four quarterly grades.
The Math A Regents taken in June also saw a steep drop in test scores. At Hewlett High School, only 25 percent of students passed the test, compared with 92 percent who passed it in January. At Lawrence High School, only 8 percent passed it in June, compared with 86 percent who passed it in January.
As a result of the huge passing-rate drop, the test was thrown out for juniors and seniors, who will instead be graded solely on their class grades. Freshmen and sophomores will re-take the test at a later date after the "defects" are fixed.
School officials in Lawrence could not be reached for comment about their decision not to give the physics exam.
