(This story is the second in a series analyzing the Elmont School District's performance on state standardized test scores. The first story was printed last week.)

There has been some controversy as to whether the New York State standardized tests for school districts truly measure with accuracy a district's academic achievements. In Elmont, test scores cannot be taken at face value since Elmont faces challenges of educating an influx of students from other parts of the world.

While Elmont has certainly met state standards, the district's scores serve only to underestimate how well the district is performing. Getting children to meet state standards is only a small portion of a greater challenge facing the Elmont Schools. The district's highest challenge is taking children who move into the district at various levels, evaluating them and then moving them along at a faster pace than normal.

New York State standardized test scores take into account all students in the district. However, in Elmont's case, the scores may be a mirage. Those students who have been with a district for years before they take the fourth grade tests have achieved far better results on the tests.

For the 1999-2000 school year, the Elmont School District had 60 percent of their students either meeting or exceeding state standards for the English Language Arts (ELA) exam. However, a greater percentage of students who have been in the Elmont Schools since kindergarten met or exceeded state standards. Out of those students who entered the Elmont Schools in 1995-96 (kindergarten), 70 percent met or exceeded state standards. Out of the 623 fourth grade students who took the exam, however, only 336 have been in the Elmont Schools since kindergarten.

Out of those 56 fourth grade students who entered the Elmont Schools in 1999-2000, when the ELA exam was given, only 24 percent met or exceeded state standards. New York State Assemblyman Tom Alfano's Chief of Staff Scott Cushing likens the scenario to putting a team with players who haven't had the proper practice out on the field with two minutes left in the Super Bowl.

On the state mandated math examination, out of 637 fourth grade students who took the exam, 65 percent either met or exceeded state standards. Out of those 637 students, 321 have been in the Elmont Schools since kindergarten. Out of those 321 students, 75 percent either met or exceeded state standards.

Dr. Maria Palandra acknowledges that the longer students are with the Elmont Schools, the better they do on the mandated state examinations. In the reporting of state report cards, parents as well as community members are only getting the results of the total number of students taking the tests, which includes, in Elmont's case, many students whose primary language isn't English as well as special education students. It's enough to frustrate Dr. Palandra as well as many of the district's educators.

One frustrating challenge for the Elmont School District is trying to get children to meet New York State standards even though many of them are coming from schools systems with different curriculums. While some districts across the state are enjoying the luxury of having the majority of its citizens being lifelong residents, Elmont is not one of them.

Although Elmont has its share of citizens who have been lifelong residents, a vast number of the community's residents have moved from other states, other towns and other countries. "Elmont is a very interesting community in which we have tremendous pockets of stationary, lifelong residents and we also have populations which are transitory that have moved in and out," Cushing said. "While Dr. Palandra's school district is educating the children that have moved in, by the time those children can actually be measured for progress, they're gone and she has a new child in that place. You have in some particular areas a revolving door of school children, which they have to address the needs of, and a stationary set of children as well. You have two very different populations that you are servicing and are being measured and compared."

Consider that during the 1998-1999 school year, the Elmont School district had 662 new entrants for grades 1-6 as of May 31 as well as 480 students leaving the district. Out of those 662 new students, only seven came from non-public schools, 71 came from other Long Island schools, 352 came from New York City schools and 232 came from all other schools. In the 1999-2000 school year, the district had 706 new students from grades 1-6 from September to May. From the same time period, 601 left. Out of the 706 new students, 353 came from New York City schools while 262 came from schools other than Long Island schools or non-public schools, mostly from foreign countries.

Also, consider that during the 1999-2000 school year, 84 or approximately 14 percent of the fourth grade population were students who arrived at the district between September and February.

Dr. Palandra said the bulk of the district's new students who aren't from New York City Schools aren't coming from other states, but rather from other countries. "They should name the Elmont School District the Ellis Island of Long Island," said Cushing.

Yet, despite the fact that the Elmont Schools are taking in a significant influx of children from foreign countries, well over half of the district's fourth grade population is meeting or exceeding state standards in ELA and Math. During the 1999-2000 school year, the district still produced 371 fourth grade students who either met or exceeded the state standards in ELA out of a population of 623 general education and special education students. The district also produced 411 students who either met of exceeded the state standards in math out of a population or 637 general and special education fourth grade students when the test was given.

Educators like Dr. Palandra and elected officials such as Assemblyman Alfano feel the district is being served an injustice when community members simply take only the test scores into account when determining the value of a school district. "You have people who are looking to buy homes and looking to move into a community and they look at those scores. They're are under a false impression that the school district is not meeting standards or not doing its job. The numbers really aren't a true representation of what they're doing," Cushing said.

Dr. Palandra feels the state tests can serve the purpose of determining how much progress an individual child is making. However, the superintendent doesn't feel the tests are an accurate reflection of the quality of education in the district as a whole.

Based on the demographics of Elmont, it is clear that the school district is dealing with a different playing field when it comes to the education of its children than other school districts. However, Elmont educators must educate the students that are in their schools. These students who come from foreign countries could be some of the brightest on Long Island. It's the responsibility of the Elmont Schools to make sure these students progress in a fashion necessary to succeed in the state's educational system. "I don't want to focus on the population as much as on the challenge the district has - to make sure that the population is afforded a good education," Dr. Palandra said.