52.0°,
Mostly Cloudy Local ELA, math scores vary
Before students in the Sewanhaka Central High, Franklin Square Union Free and Elmont Union Free school districts headed back to school for the 2011-12, state test scores assessing 3rd- to 8th-grade students’ English Language Arts and math scores from the 2010-11 school year were released. Locally, the results — released by the New York State Education Department in August — vary widely.
Sewanhaka
The Sewanhaka Central High School District’s scores — which include only 7th and 8th graders’ results — were all slightly lower than the Nassau County average, in each category. Dr. Ralph Ferrie, the district’s new superintendent, said that the district is still in the process of analyzing the scores, and has not yet formed a formal statement about what it’s plan will be to improve on those scores.
District results topped the Nassau County average in every category, including a 6th-grade Math score that was nearly 10 percent higher than the county’s average, and a 6th-grade ELA score that was more than 10 percent higher than the county’s. Last year, the district’s scores were also higher than the county’s.
“We expected the results to be in this range,” said Patrick Manley, superintendent of the district. He added that the district is not “standing idle” in hopes that scores will continue to improve. “We added professional staff in our budget (for 2011-12) to create small group instruction opportunities in our classrooms,” he said. “We believe (small group instruction) will allow our students to achieve greater success on state tests.”
Elmont
The Elmont Union Free District’s scores were slightly lower than the county’s average scores in each category. This summer, more than 900 students attended summer enrichment programs that will help students bring those scores up. Additionally, Elmont has implemented “System 44,” a foundational reading and phonics program designed for challenged readers in grades 3 to 6, for the 2011-12 school year.
Click here to view our photos: www.liherald.com/photos.
Comments about this story? JNash@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 214.
