The results are in. The Syosset Central School District scored above average on the New York State's School Report Card.

According to a copy of the Public School Performance Report, which was issued by the school district, the School Report Card is part of the Board of Regents' effort to raise the academic performance of all pupils, and replaces the Comprehensive Assessment Report (CAR) from two years ago. It enables the school community to review key information about academic performance in the school and serves as a foundation for school improvement.

The School Report Card compares information about each school in the district against other schools in the district. For instance, there are seven elementary schools in Syosset, and they are compared against each other. Schools are also compared to similar schools, those in other districts with similar pupil characteristics and resources. Finally, schools are compared with all public schools in the state.

Dr. Patricia L. Galaskas, elementary curriculum coordinator, made a presentation on the School Report Cards, as well as additional data on state tests not included in the report cards. In order to provide a more complete picture of school performance, she also included the results of the district's standardized testing program, the IOWA Tests of Basic Skills and Cognitive Abilities Tests, as well as information on the SATs, ACTS and the Advanced Placement Tests.

The school report card includes results from state tests given in English, language arts, mathematics, science and social studies. Also available for review is data collected to measure progress in meeting the Regents school performance standards and more rigorous graduation requirements.

The following is some of the data reported in the School Report Card:

Results from the Pupil Evaluation Program (PEP) were given for all Syosset schools in the past three years. These figures show the percentage of students scoring above the state reference point, which is what the state determines to be minimum competency. For 1996-97 the most notable and impressive results were in grade three reading, at 99 percent; grade three math, 100 percent; grade five writing, 100 percent; grade six reading, 99 percent and grade six math, 100 percent.

Furthermore, Galaskas said that three-quarters of Syosset sixth-graders read at a level with distinction. "The state suggests that sixth graders should be able to read the front page of The New York Times. Syosset's sixth-graders meet that criteria," she said. Three-fifths of the third-graders were also reading with distinction. "They are able to read more advanced fiction such as Black Beauty," said Galaskas.

Program Evaluation Test (PET) numbers show that the sixth-grade social studies students from Syosset performed better than 88 percent of sixth-graders across the state.

Results from the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills in math and reading for students in grades two through five, and for pupils in grades six though eight were also positive, as Syosset scored in the seventh, eighth and ninth stanines.

Syosset students in grades four and five scored in the top three stanines on the Cognitive Abilities Test, which measures verbal, quantitative and nonverbal skills, placing their district higher than many districts across the nation. The average score of pupils in grade four was the same or higher than 86 percent of students in the same grade, nationwide. Children in fifth grade averaged an 85th percentile, nationwide.

Another outstanding statistic, said Galaskas, is that every single eighth-grader taking Sequential Math 1 Regents last year passed with distinction. Distinction is earned in Regents courses from eighth-through twelfth-grade by passing the Regents exam by a score of 85 or better. Also, of the eighth-graders who took Regents Earth Science ¬ 99 percent of them did ¬ 100 percent of them passed.

High school graduation statistics reveal that Syosset is well above similar schools in the percentage of earned Regents diplomas and the percentage of students going to four-year colleges.

Ninety-six percent of high school students taking Regents Sequential Math 3 passed with distinction. Ninety-six percent of biology students passed the Regents exam, 97 percent of chemistry students passed their Regents, and more than half passed with distinction in both sciences. Results were also high in both social studies Regents.

The percentages of students who passed the Regents for foreign language in Italian, Spanish and French were, respectively, 96, 98 and 100 percent.

Syosset placed well above state and national means in the SATs and ACTs. Eighty-three percent of students who took Advanced Placement Examinations scored a three or better on a scale of five.

Galaskas said, "I believe the Performance Report shows an excellent display of achievement at the secondary, elementary and high school level. Syosset students consistently scored high, usually above their counterparts, in the various reference groups, statewide."

Hankin said that parents will be receiving copies of their children's School Report Card in the mail.