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CROTON-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. - Scores improved this year on state standardized tests for Croton-Harmon third- through eighth-graders, according to results released Tuesday by the State Education Department. Local students also performed above the Westchester County averages.
Scores fall into one of four categories: The first two indicate a student is below proficiency; a student at level three meets the proficiency standard, and a level-four student exceeds it.
Some 78.5 percent of Croton-Harmon pupils met or exceeded the proficiency standard on the English Language Arts (ELA) test in 2012, and 81.9 percent met or exceeded the proficiency standard in math. Both averages are above last year's by less than one percentage point.
County-wide, 65.96 percent of students scored at or above the proficiency standard on the ELA tests, and 73 percent on the math tests.
"There is some positive momentum in these numbers," Board of Regents Chancellor Merryl H. Tisch said in a release. "But too many of our students, especially students of color, English Language Learners and special education students, are currently not on a course for college and career readiness."
According to the state, raising the proficiency standard in 2010-2011 resulted in fewer students meeting or exceeding that goal that school year. In 2011-2012, progress toward the new ELA standard varied by grade, compared to a slight overall increase in math.
John B. King Jr., commissioner of the state Education Department, said the tests will get even harder in 2013, when the the department implements the Regents Reform Agenda, which includes new college- and career-ready standards and a new "fair and transparent teacher and principal evaluation system."
Test results are available in a variety of formats on the state Education Department website.
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