Wantagh and Seaford Schools Score High on Standardized Tests

The New York State Department of Education released the results of the 2016 ELA and math exams, and students in Wantagh and Seaford scored well above the state average.

Statewide, the percentage of students scoring "proficient" on the exams (scoring a 3 or 4, instead of a 1 or 2) also increased. Students proficient in ELA went up from 31.3 percent to 37.9. In math, the percentage of proficient students went from 38.1 to 39.1.

The State Education Department made several changes to the 2016 ELA and math exams through a deliberate process. These changes included contracting a new test vendor with a requirement of greater teacher involvement, reducing the number of questions on every grade 3-8 ELA and math assessments and allowing students who are productively working to complete their exams.

In addition, more test questions were released than ever before and earlier than ever before to support instruction. Further, when parents receive their child’s school reports later this summer, they will see that they are easier to understand and provide more information on how their child performed.

Wantagh and Seaford students placed well above the state average for the percentage of students scoring proficient, and increased their scores as well. In Wantagh, the percentage of students scoring "proficient" on the ELA exam went from 49 to 58 percent. The district held the line in math at 71 percent proficiency.

Students in Seaford, though, didn't fare as well. Although they scored higher than the state average, the students labeled proficient in math dropped from 59 to 55 percent. But scores in ELA increased, with the proficiency rating going from 50 to 58 percent.

For the complete Wantagh school report card, click here. For Seaford's data, click here.

Photo: Google Maps.