School Districts Address State Test Results

The New York State Grade 3 through 8 assessment results released Aug. 7 by the NYS Education Department continue to draw a mixture of reactions from local educators. 

Pearl River Superintendent of Schools Dr. John Morgano expressed confidence in the district's employees and students when he spoke results during last week's school board meeting.

"We have great teachers, administrators, parents and students," Morgano said. "We'll be fine."

Morgano included a similar sentiment sent out this letter to parents Aug. 13 with a more detailed response to the scores, which were released Aug. 7 by the New York State Education department.

South Orangetown Superintendent Dr. Ken Mitchell also spoke up for his district's students and staff, but also criticized the implementation of the new testing by the state in a letter he sent out to parents and the community Aug. 9. 

The results raised concerns with fewer students in the district and statewide meeting or exceeding proficiency standards in Math and English Language Arts (ELA) than in past years, though the dramatic changes in the assessments made it difficult for such comparisons to be useful. The tests were changed to align with new, more challenging Common Core learning standards for curriculum in New York State public schools.

In all of New York State, 31.1 percent of students met or exceeded proficiency in ELA and 31 percent did so in math. Overall, the scores were higher in Rockland County. For example, in Pearl River, it was 50.3 percent in ELA and 54.6 percent in math while South Orangetown came in at 47.3 percent in ELA and 42.9 in math. 

"I want to make it very clear that the change in test scores does not mean that students are learning less or that teachers and schools are performing worse than last year," said New York State Education Commissioner John B. King, Jr.

For more on the changes, see this report on Patch, which includes reaction from Nyack Superintendent Dr. James Montesano. 
South Orangetown Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ken Mitchell also sent out a letter to parents and and the community, though he was more critical of the implementation.

"We believe the decrease in this year's assessment results, experienced across the Hudson Valley and throughout New York State, is not attributable to a decline in student performance, but in stead, reflect the fact that the assessments were prematurely implemented before students could be effectively instructed in the new, more rigorous, Common Core Learning Standards curriculum. While the (State Education Department) established the cut scores, which determined the new proficiency levels, it should be further noted that it is impossible to accurately compare student progress using prior year's assessment results."

Morgano said in his letter that the district will use the test results to help plan for the upcoming school year and beyond, but it is only one of many measures the district uses. 

"What these scores mean for the students in Pearl River is a continued model of test data analysis, identifying strengths and gaps, and prioritizing our next steps to better prepare our students for the increased rigor of these new standards, curricula, and state assessments. We will continue to use resources that the NYS Education Department is in the process of rolling out, as well as regional professional development opportunities to support teaching and learning."


Mitchell also pointed to using multiple measures to track student progress toward college and career readiness, which was a stated goal for the new core curriculum the state adopted in 2010. He wrote that of 108 South Orangetown Middle School eighth grade students who passed the Integrated Algebra Regents Exam, 24 did not reach proficiency on the 2013 NYS Grade 8 Math test. 

"How can students be 'college and career ready' on one New York State exam yet not on another? Something's amiss," Mitchell said. "We strongly believe there is no correlation between these latest assessment results and our students' ability to be college and career ready."