Local Schools Score Well Above State Average on Proficiency Exams

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) released the results of the Grade 3-8 state Regents Math and English Assessments Monday morning, along with data for all schools and districts that participated.

Scores were expected to be lower than previous years, as last year was the first time the new Proficiency standards were redefined to align them with college-ready performance. The new Proficiency standards are based on a review of research that analyzed how the grade 3-8 state tests relate to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) exam; how the state’s eighth grade Math and English tests relate to the Regents exams; how performance on the Regents exams relates to SAT scores; and how performance on the Regents exams relates to first-year performance in college.  

As a result of raising the bar for what it means to be proficient, many fewer students met or exceeded the new Mathematics and English Proficiency standards in 2010 than in previous years. Across Grades 3-8 statewide, the majority of students, 53% in English and 61% in Math, met or exceeded the new Proficiency standards this year.  By contrast, in 2009, 77% of students met or exceeded standards in English and 86% of students did so in Math.

Locally, the  had the highest score averages, as 89.1% of Grade 3-8 students met or exceeded the new Proficiency standard for both tests, up from 85.1% in 2009. The  also posted scores well above the state average, with 85% of test takers scoring at or above the Proficiency standard, just about on par with last year's numbers of 85.9%. Like Bronxville, the  saw an increase in students meeting or exceeding the standard, with 81.8% of students doing so, up from last year's 76.2%.

"We are doing a great disservice when we say that a child is proficient when that child is not,” said NYSED Chancellor Merryl Tisch. “Nowhere is this more true than among our students who are most in need. There, the failure to drill down and develop accurate assessments creates a burden that falls disproportionately on English Language Learners, students with disabilities, African-American and Hispanic young people and students in economically disadvantaged districts - who turn out to be much further behind than anyone recognized. The Regents and I believe these results can be a powerful tool for change. They clearly identify where we need to do more and provide real accountability to bring about the focused attention needed to implement the necessary reforms to help all of our children catch up and succeed."

Here is a breakdown of how local students scored the tests:

Bronxville Union Free School District:

   116

Eastchester Union Free School District:

   226

Tuckahoe Union Free School District:

   99

Here is more information on the results of the Grade 3-8 state Regents Math and English Assessments and how they were scored:

Results for English:

The average scale scores on the English Language Arts test this year were about the same as last year in all grades.

While 53% of Grade 3-8 students across the state met or exceeded the new ELA Proficiency standard, 14% of English Language Learners met or exceeded the new ELA Proficiency standard.  Fifteen percent of Students with Disabilities met or exceeded the new ELA Proficiency standard.

The ELA results for racial/ethnic groups across Grades 3-8 reflect the stubborn persistence of the tragic racial achievement gap. Low-need communities continued to outperform large cities and rural areas in ELA. A smaller proportion of students met or exceeded the new ELA Proficiency standard in the Big Five cities than in the rest of the state.   In New York City, 42.4% of students met or exceeded the English Proficiency standard, while in the Big 4 cities the figure was 29.1%.

Fewer than 40% of the students from economically disadvantaged districts met or exceeded the new ELA Proficiency standard.

In charter schools, 43% of students met or exceeded the new ELA Proficiency standard.

Results for Math:

The average scale scores on the Mathematics test this year were about the same as last year in all grades.  Rapid student gains from previous years leveled off.  Although there may be several possible explanations, we note that 25% to 30% more performance indicators were tested in 2010 than in 2009.

While 61% of all students met or exceeded the new Proficiency standard, 31% of English Language Learners met or exceeded the new Mathematics Proficiency standard.  For Students with Disabilities 25% met or exceeded the new Mathematics Proficiency standard.

The Mathematics results for racial/ethnic groups across Grades 3-8 reflect the stubborn persistence of the tragic racial achievement gap. Low-need communities continued to outperform large cities and rural areas in Mathematics.  A smaller proportion of students met or exceeded the Mathematics Proficiency standard in the Big Five cities than in the rest of the state.  In New York City, 54% of students met or exceeded the Mathematics Proficiency standard, while in the Big 4 cities the figure was 31.1%.

Fewer than half the students from economically disadvantaged districts met or exceeded the new Mathematics Proficiency standard.

In charter schools, 60% of students met or exceeded the new Mathematics Proficiency standard.

Background:

In order to align our Grade 3-8 assessments with a new college-readiness goal, the 2010 Math and ELA Proficiency Standard scores (Level 3) have changed from 650 where they have been set in the past to these scores:

Grade

Math

ELA

8

673

658

7

670

664

6

674

662

5

674

666

4

676

668

3

684

662

The Level 2 score, renamed the Basic Standard, has been set at a level that gives  students a 75% chance of earning a Regents score of 65, sufficient to earn a Regents diploma.  The 2010 Math and ELA Basic Standard scores have changed from where they have been set in the past to these scores:

Grade

Math

ELA

8

639

627

7

639

642

6

640

644

5

640

647

4

636

637

3

661

643

The Performance levels for students have been renamed to reflect more precisely for parents, teacher and schools whether a student is below, meeting, or exceeding the Proficiency standard. The new labels are:

Performance Level

Label

Level 1

Below Standard

Level 2

Meets Basic Standard

Level 3

Meets Proficiency Standard

Level 4

Exceeds Proficiency Standard

For complete test scores and results, as well as more information on the NYSED and Regents testing, visit the NYSED website.