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CROTON-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. -- Students in the Croton-Harmon School District far exceeded the state averages on the math and English Language Arts (ELA) exams taken last May.
At Carrie E. Tompkins Elementary School, 74 percent of the 138 third grade students met or exceeded the state's ELA proficiency standards, while 66.7 percent met or exceeded the math standards.
In the fourth grade, 76 percent of the 116 students were up to par in ELA, while 85.4 percent fared well in math.
Students at Pierre Van Cortlandt Middle School also performed impressively on the exams. At the fifth grade level, 80.6 percent of the 144 students met or exceeded the ELA and math standards. In the sixth grade, 80.7 percent of the 145 students excelled in ELA and 84.4 percent aced the math exam.
In the higher grades, the trend continued as 71.5 percent of seventh graders and 87.9 percent of eighth graders equaled or surpassed the ELA level and 86.3 percent of seventh graders and 85 percent of eighth graders displayed their knowledge of math.
Statewide, 52.8 percent of students in third through eighth grades met or exceeded the ELA standards, which is down from 53.2 percent last year. Meanwhile, 63.3 percent of students met or exceeded the math standards, which is up from 61 percent a year ago.
State Education Department officials said steps are being taken to try to close the achievement gap that persists statewide.
"Students outcomes have been stubbornly flat over time," said Education Commissioner John B. King, Jr. "The Regents reform agenda is designed to change that, by driving long-term gains in student performance. Better tests are only one part of the reform strategy."
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