Oceanside, Island Park Letters to the Editor

Herald story confused tests

To the Editor:

There are several significant inaccuracies in the Oceanside/Island Park Herald article “Some BOCES students opt out,” which appeared in the April 23-29 issue. There are two separate types of tests and regulations. The story confused the two testing models — New York State’s Alternate Assessment (NYSAA) for Students with Severe Disabilities, and a computer adaptive test that Nassau BOCES utilizes, the STAR Assessment.

Nassau BOCES students who are seeking a Regents or Local Diploma are required to take the same grades 3-8 assessments as every student in New York. In Nassau BOCES and in local districts, some students with severe cognitive disabilities qualify for the NYSAA, given by the State Education Department.

The STAR Assessment is administered to students who are taking the state grades 3-8 and Regents exams. It takes only 20 to 30 minutes to administer three or four times a school year. Teachers are given the students’ score as soon as the test is completed. STAR is a research-based, highly reliable and valid instrument that is used throughout the U.S. to measure reading and math scores and the growth of students in those areas. Students with severe disabilities do not participate in the STAR Assessment.

As per the Education Department, only 1 percent of a district’s students — whether they attend BOCES programs or district schools — are allowed to take the NYSAA. This means that if more than 1 percent of a local district’s population qualifies for the NYSAA, because of their severe disabilities — based on a determination by the district’s Committee on Special Education — those students must take the state’s regular grades 3-8 assessments and then the Regents exams. This information was confused with enrollment in BOCES programs. Districts can send as many students as they want to a BOCES program; there is no enrollment cap, as stated in the article.

Angela Marshall

Hempstead