By Nick Buglione
Following a recent New York State Department of Education analysis of scores from 1999 to 2003, it was determined that Meadowbrook improved its passing rate by nearly 29 percent. Only about 66 percent of the 61 fourth-graders who took the ELA 4 in 1999 passed, while 94 percent of the 72 students who took it last year passed.
"Improvement of student performance is a primary goal of good teaching, and is a major component of the instructional process, which takes place in the classroom every day," said Thomas Mangano, Meadowbrook principal. "We are certainly pleased with the outstanding performance of Meadowbrook's fourth-graders."
Administered annually in January or February, the ELA 4 is taken over three days and challenges students' abilities in reading, listening attentively, and responding in writing to literary and informational passages.
Scoring is based on a four-point scale. Three and 4 are passing grades. Scores of 1 or 2 indicate that a student needs extra support in language arts.
Mangano credits his school's improvement with a "variety of differentiated language and literacy-based activities" introduced in the grades leading up to fourth.
"By the time the children reach grade four, they have been provided with strategies which should make them successful learners and not merely successful test takers," Mangano said. "Beginning in late November, fourth-grade teachers will have dedicated time before, during and after school to review concepts and techniques relevant to the language arts assessment."
The school has also put in place intervention programs in kindergarten to identify early on the children who need extra help in certain academic areas.
Lisa DiFilippi, a mother whose son took the exam in 1999 and whose third-grader will take it next year, said the school's initiatives have made a noticeable improvement. "I definitely see a difference in the younger children; there's a lot more comprehension and thinking outside the box," DiFilippi said.
"We have the best teachers in the school district," she continued. "Our fourth-grade teachers are there before and after school, helping our children."
Mangano said the success is a team effort among teachers, students and parents. "Teachers provide challenging and rigorous instruction every day," he said. "Parents are supportive of high standards, realistic expectations and a responsible work ethic, and children are excited about learning, willing to work hard and dedicated to doing the best they can."
Meadowbrook is just one of hundreds of elementary schools recently placed on the state's ELA 4 most-improved list. To get on the list, a school must have tested at least 20 students, and at least half must have scored 3 or 4, according to the state Department of Education. The number of students scoring at that level must have increased by 20 percent or more since 1999.
"These most-improved schools show the state's investment in education is working," said Richard Mills, state education commissioner. "Many thousands of children are getting a better education than ever before."
Hoping to improve ELA 4 scores in all its elementary schools, the East Meadow School District introduced a new literacy initiative this year. Among the aims of the program is promoting literacy among East Meadow youngsters by pinpointing areas that need to be worked on.
It also calls for an in-district diagnostic test in grades three, four and five similar to the ELA 4 to help teachers identify their students' problem areas and address them throughout the year.
The program requires monthly meetings among classroom and reading teachers to promote the sharing of instructional strategies.
