By Tom Steinert
School officials have expressed their satisfaction with results of the exams taken this year, though they acknowledge that the tests are just one way to evaluate a child’s academic success.
New York state divides the exam results into four categories. A score of Level 1 or 2 indicates that a child is not meeting the state’s academic standards and needs further work. A score of Level 3 or 4 shows that a child meets or exceeds the standards. A district’s passing rate is calculated by adding the percentages of students who received the two highest scores. All students in grades three through eight take the exams.
“Math and English are the foundation of a child’s education,” said Franklin Square’s assistant superintendent, Julie Soffientini. “If you master those skills, then you accomplish anything in life.”
Across the board, higher percentages of students passed the math exams than the ELA.
Franklin Square
Union Free School District
Overall, an average of 97.2 percent of students in Franklin Square who took the tests passed them, with individual passing rates ranging from 93.9 percent on the third-grade ELA to a 99.7 on math in grade six.
Most notably, the ELA scores were well above the state average in grades three through six. The state’s average passing rates for these grades are 70, 71, 77 and 67 percent, respectively. Franklin Square’s passing percentages were 93.9, 96, 96.8 and 95.4 percent.
“We’ve taken many initiatives over the past year,” Soffientini said, citing an accelerated reading program, which has helped boost ELA scores. “If you read more, you excel more.”
While she said she is a proponent of the tests, Soffientini explained that she believes that there should be less emphasis on standardized exams and more on other indicators of academic success, like report cards. Still, she said that the state assessments are good indicators of a child’s performance.
Elmont Union Free School District
Test scores in Elmont have been climbing over the years, and Superintendent Al Harper said this year’s results were very encouraging. In grades three through six, the passing rate for math was 89.9 percent, and for the ELA the rate was 81 percent.
Like Franklin Square, Elmont has recently adopted a new reading program that has helped students enhance their language skills. “While we are very happy with the results,” Harper said, “we realize that there’s always room for improvement.” He added that he would like to see scores continue on their upward trend.
The highest combined passing percentage for any single class was third-graders’ 92.9 percent. Overall, the district’s passing rates hovered between the state and county averages.
Sewanhaka Central
High School District
Assistant Superintendent Dr. Kathleen Gulbin said that this year’s scores in grades seven and eight were the highest ever in Sewanhaka. Although the results have fluctuated over the years, the recent trend in the district has been an upward one. The math passing rate was 86.1, while 73.5 percent of students passed the ELA. What pleased Gulbin the most, however, she said, was the much smaller number of students who scored at Level 1 than last year.
This year saw some new additions to the curriculum that helped students a great deal, Gulbin said. Among the initiatives was a Read 180 Scholastic program, which helps students master English. The district also offered extra teaching sessions on Saturdays and Sundays.
“Reading is not formally taught in high school, so that’s why it’s important that we have students master those skills here first,” Gulbin said.
Comments about this story? FSeditor@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 214.
