State Math Test Scores Show Overall Rise in Three Village Schools

Students in grades 3 through 8 scored better on state math tests in 2011 than in 2010, according to data released by the New York State Department of Education and the Three Village Central School District.

The most marked improvement in math came from the eighth grade results, where the percentage of students scoring at or above the level of proficiency was 75 percent in 2010 and 81 percent in 2011.

In the third grade, the percentage of students achieving proficiency in math went from 72 percent in 2010 to 77 percent in 2011. The highest-achieving grade students were the fifth graders, 86 percent of whom scored as proficient.

State Math Test Results

• Grade 3: 72 percent in 2010 / 77 percent in 2011
• Grade 4: 82 percent in 2010 / 82 percent in 2011
• Grade 5: 82 percent in 2010 / 86 percent in 2011
• Grade 6: 75 percent in 2010 / 79 percent in 2011
• Grade 7: 82 percent in 2010 / 85 percent in 2011
• Grade 8: 75 percent in 2010 / 81 percent in 2011

In Three Village, scores in English language arts were down from 2010 in grades 4, 7, and 8, whereas scores rose in grades 3, 5, and 6. In grade 6, the percentage of students achieving proficiency rose from 71 percent in 2010 to 80 percent in 2011.

State ELA Results

• Grade 3: 71 percent in 2010 / 74 percent in 2011
• Grade 4: 79 percent in 2010 / 74 percent in 2011
• Grade 5: 73 percent in 2010 / 76 percent in 2011
• Grade 6: 71 percent in 2010 / 80 percent in 2011
• Grade 7: 76 percent in 2010 / 73 percent in 2011
• Grade 8: 75 percent in 2010 / 72 percent in 2011

"We've started to look at the information to see where we are," said Cheryl Pedisich, assistant superintendent for educational and pupil personnel services. "That's completely reflective of what we're seeing across the state. The ELA scores went down slightly."

A statement from the New York State Department of Education confirmed that trend and said the statewide math results were about the same as last year's results.

"While the majority of students statewide met or exceeded the state’s proficiency standards in both math and ELA, overall performance remains low and the gaps in achievement persist," the statement read.

The school district's data has not yet been adjusted to account for students in gifted or special education programs. Pedisich said the district's next step will be to separate the data along those lines for further analysis, and said the district will have a full report for its parents in the coming months.

In 2010, the state education department raised the cut scores needed for a student to achieve proficiency in both math and English language arts. This year, the state made additional changes to the tests "to make them more comprehensive and better measures of students’ skills," the department said in a statement.