62°
The percentage of New York students considered proficient in math and ELA for grades three to eight was significantly lower than last year's testing results, including Croton-Harmon schools. But Fuhrman is reminding residents that the state and school districts expected the scores to be lower due to more rigorous requirements and overhauls to the testing.
"The worst thing someone could assume when looking at these scores is that students didn't learn as much as previous years because that's just not right," Fuhrman said Wednesday. "These are new assessments and the information they provide is baseline and is the first year of a new format that is not comparable to results from past years. What we're seeing in Croton is consistent with what other superintendents are seeing in their school districts."
Croton-Harmon Schools scored higher than the state average in a majority of categories. According to the state’s assessment, given to students in third to eighth-grade, 41 percent were at grade level in ELA and 40 percent were at grade level in math.
The state results for Croton-Harmon showed the following percentages:
Grade Three – 50.4 percent of students met or exceeded proficiency for their grade in ELA, and 58 percent met or exceeded proficiency for their grade in math. The Westchester County average was 40.6 percent for ELA and 41.2 percent for math.
Grade Four – 47.1 percent of students met or exceeded proficiency for their grade in ELA, and 51.2 percent met or exceeded proficiency for their grade in math. The Westchester County average was 41.6 percent for ELA and 46.1 percent for math.
Grade Five – 57.8 percent of students met or exceeded proficiency for their grade in ELA, and 41.7 percent met or exceeded proficiency for their grade in math. The Westchester County average was 41 percent for ELA and 39.4 percent for math.
Grade Six – 61.7 percent of students met or exceeded proficiency for their grade in ELA and 47 percent in math. The Westchester County average was 46.6 percent for ELA and 40.6 percent for math.
Grade Seven – 59.7 percent of students met or exceeded proficiency for their grade in ELA, and 52.2 percent met or exceeded proficiency for their grade in math. The Westchester County average was 41.1 percent for ELA and 37.3 percent for math.
Grade Eight – 55.4 percent of students met or exceeded proficiency for their grade in ELA, and 34 percent met or exceeded proficiency for their grade in math. The Westchester County average was 44.2 percent for ELA and 37 percent for math.
Statewide results for New York students in grades three to eight showed that 31.1 percent of students in grade three to eight met or exceeded the ELA proficiency standard, and 31 percent met or exceeded the math proficiency standard.
The lower results do not reflect a decrease in performance for schools or students, but rather a raising of standards to reflect college and career readiness, said state Education Commissioner John B. King Jr.
"I understand these scores are sobering for parents, teachers, and principals. It's frustrating to see our children struggle,” King said in the release. “But we can't allow ourselves to be paralyzed by frustration; we must be energized by this opportunity. The results we've announced today are not a critique of past efforts; they're a new starting point on a road map to future success.”
The state said it does not intend to identify any new “Focus Districts” or “Priority schools” based on the 2012-13 assessment results.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Cortlandt and receive free news updates.
