The PW School District presented its "Report on Student Achievement" at the Nov. 9 Board of Education meeting, attended by just a handful of individuals. A major portion of the presentation and discussion focused on the results of the new New York State assessment examinations in mathematics and English language arts given to students in grades four and eight. The statewide assessments sought to capture students' progress and growth in relation to the new NYS curriculum standards, which required changes in the curriculum over the last several years. What does the District's own educational "snapshot" reveal?

Students in fourth and eighth grades did better on the math assessment tests than on English Language Arts assessment exams. 87 percent of the district's fourth graders performed at level three or four; just 13 percent scored at level two and none at the lowest level. The State defined level three performances as "the student has demonstrated knowledge and skills for all standards," and level four as "the student demonstrates superior knowledge and skills for each standard." A level two performance is described as the student possessing "some knowledge and skills for each standard or, full proficiency in some of the standards." A level one indicates "the student demonstrates no evidence of proficiency in one or more of the standards." Clearly, it is most desirable to have students reach levels 3 and 4.

The eighth grade assessment results for math, though not as strong as those of fourth grade students, was still slightly better than their performance in the area of English. For eighth graders, 77 percent scored at level three or four in math; 14 percent ranked at level two, and 8 percent at level one. Close to half (45 percent) performed at level three, and nearly one-third (32 percent) ranked at the highest level (4). Still, about 22 percent did not meet the new standards, either partially or entirely.

Roughly three-quarters of fourth and eighth graders met or exceeded the standards for English Language Arts, but one-quarter of students only partially met state standards, with a small percentage (1 percent) meeting none of the standards. 63 percent of fourth graders performed at level 3, while 9 percent performed at level 4, for English. 27 percent, though, performed at level two, indicating some knowledge but also some gaps. The eighth-grade results reveal 54 percent performing at level 3 and 22 percent at level 4. It appears that by eighth grade, far more students are at the superior knowledge level than there are in fourth grade. Yet even in the higher-scoring eighth grade, 23 percent did not meet all the standards.

Among the four elementary schools, fourth grade math scores were higher and more closely clustered, than English scores.

For the fourth grade English language arts assessment, the Sousa School had the highest percentage of students scoring at levels 3 and 4 (77 percent); they were closely followed by Guggenheim (76 percent), then Daly (73 percent), and Manorhaven (61 percent).

A total of 91 percent of Daly fourth graders scored at level 3 or 4 on the math assessment; for Sousa, 89 percent reached level 3 or 4. They were closely followed by Manorhaven fourth graders, of whom 85 percent scored at level 3 or 4, and Guggenheim, where 83 percent achieved levels 3 or 4.

In general, Port's assessment results compared favorably with Nassau County (overall) and New York State, but were outscored, at the fourth grade level, when compared with neighboring communities. Eighth grade assessment results in both math and English outranked overall scores for Nassau County and for New York State, sometimes by a wide margin (approximately 25 percent for math, 15 - 20 percent for English, for instance). Margins were much smaller for fourth grade assessment results, when compared to county and state figures.

Nevertheless, though the District ranked well in these comparisons, it lagged on when compared to communities like Great Neck,Herricks, Manhasset and Roslyn, especially in fourth grade test results and eighth grade math exam outcomes. For instance, the following lists the approximate percentage of fourth-grade students performing at level 3 and 4 on the English Language Arts Assessment:

Port Washington 72 %

Great Neck 83 %

Herricks 82 %

Manhasset 80 %

Roslyn 83 %

Mineola was closest to Port's results; 72 percent of their fourth graders also scored at levels three and four.

Similarly, Port lagged, though not as much, on the fourth grade math results, when compared to neighboring districts, as the rough estimates that follow outline:

School District Percent Scoring at Levels 3 & 4

Port Washington 87 %

Great Neck 97 %

Herricks 96 %

Manhasset 95 %

Roslyn 97 %

Port's strongest performance, when compared to other communities, occurred on the 8th grade English assessment results. In this subject, 76 percent of Port students performed at levels three and four. In this case, Port outshone Great Neck (70 percent), Mineola (54 percent), Roslyn (74 percent), and tied with Manhasset. Only Herricks, at 85 percent, exceeded this District's performance. But eighth grade math results did not compare as favorably as did their English scores. Port had 67 percent of students perform at levels three and four, while Great Neck (78 percent), Herricks (79 percent), Manhasset (83 percent), and Roslyn (69 percent) had larger percentages reach levels three and four. Mineola, though, had just 51 percent perform at these levels.

Behind the Numbers: Explanations and Implications

Dr. Sheldon Karnilow, assistant superintendent for curriculum, instruction, and assessment, commented that overall, "We did well, but we can grow, we can do better, and this is our goal for the district, to move everyone ahead to the best of their potential." There are some important factors to remember when reviewing the district's performance on the NYS assessment tests, Dr. Karnilow pointed out. First, these tests are new for everyone: teachers, students, and administrators alike. In addition, the state assessments are meant to measure children's growth in relation to the relatively new state standards, which is not the totality of what we teach, Dr. Karnilow explained. In some districts, though, coaching and special Saturday classes, much like SAT-prep courses, were conducted; this kind of teaching to and for the test only, is not this District's practice. Nevertheless, our curriculum was rewritten a few years ago (and regularly undergoes review) at every grade level and in every subject, according to Dr. Karnilow, and "it was done with the new state standards in mind."

These assessments are good at identifying those students who need academic intervention services, he pointed out, and how best to meet the needs of those below level three is now being studied. Summer programs, after-school and before-school classes, resource or lab experiences, are all under consideration as possible ways to improve students' education and performance on state assessments. Identifying students with weaker skills in one subject, and providing a class for skill building, as has been done with earth science, has been a successful approach in the past. The District is following the participants in last summer's educational programs to measure the program's impact and benefits.

There are other curriculum implications to be derived from the assessment results, and the district is identifying the best programs and approaches for these as well. For example, they are considering developing a math support program for struggling math students in the elementary schools, along the lines of reading support programs and reading teachers. It might ultimately take the form of a math specialist who works with students and teachers, but whatever the decision, the idea is to support students based on the identification of their needs.

Dr. Karnilow also commented about the differences between districts. "Sometimes the differences can be one or two tests questions only," he said, and that is enough to propel a score from level two to level three. Importantly, "we are a high level three across the board."

Population differences also account for differences between school districts. "Our population is not the same as Great Neck or Roslyn. We have children from other countries whose educational background is weak; some [enter our schools] having spent years in another nation and are still illiterate in their first language," he explained. It is also clear that preparation for the assessments does not start in fourth or eighth grade. "We work hard to get kids ready, from kindergarten on, for the fourth grade assessments," he explained, and all the teachers, grade by grade, share the responsibility.

Population differences may also account for some inter-school differences. According to Dr. Karnilow, "Manorhaven, for instance, does have a larger percentage of non-English speaking children ... We have to help all students meet the standards." In conducting this year's language arts review for the district, one goal will be to develop greater consistency between the elementary schools.

For others, the results of the Statewide assessments elicit some questions and some disappointment, especially when a significant subject is met with such poor public attendance. BOE member John Zimmerman, for instance, wrote that he was surprised that "of the approximately 36 districts in Nassau County, Port Washington was ranked around the middle of the pack for both fourth grade English and math." On the other hand, he was pleased with the eighth grade performance, which he found was "near the highest in the county." Searching for reasons for the discrepancy between fourth and eighth graders, he hypothesized that "perhaps it is a general curriculum issue at the elementary school level." The variation between Port's elementary schools was also a concern, and he wondered whether a point made by fellow BOE member Richard Sussman, that not all the elementary schools use the same textbooks and methods, might account for some of the differences.