Recently released state assessment scores for seventh and eighth grade students in the Sewanhaka Central High School District were on a par with other school districts in the region and the state, about 30 percent below last year’s scores, according to Cheryl Champ, Sewanhaka assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction.
Champ provided an overview of test results during a presentation at Tuesday night’s Sewanhaka Board of Education during which she also reviewed recent Regents and AP exam results. Regents tests were administered in January and June of 2013. AP exams were administered in May.
“They have basically reset the bar in setting Common Core standards to make students college and career ready,” Champ said of the April state test results.
For 11th graders, Champ said two sets of Regents exams would be given to students this year.
All 11th grade students will take what she called “traditional” state Regents exams in English Language Arts and algebra in January and also Common Core Regents exams in both subjects in June.
“We want to make sure they have as many chances as possible,” Champ said.
A new curriculum is being developed for AP courses in U.S. history, Spanish and chemistry in anticipation of test changes that Champ said would be “aligning” with Common Core standards.
Champ said state assessment results among seventh and eighth grade students at New Hyde Park Memorial High School and Floral Park Memorial High School showed the same 30 percent decrease in mathematics and English Language Arts as in other high schools in the district.
Champ said there is a districtwide effort underway to incorporate more non-fiction reading in all English Language Arts classes that emphasizes “evidence-based” analysis of material and is consistent with Common Core standards.
“Common Core has implications for literacy across all academic programs,” she said.
In preparation for the Common Core assessments, Champ said the school district’s algebra curriculum was rewritten over the summer. She said district math teachers and chairpersons would be attending BOCES workshops on the Common Core curriculum.
Among students in New Hyde Park Memorial High School, she said Regents results from June showed “very positive trends” in math and “pretty steady” performance in science exams.
In AP exams, 84 percent of New Hyde Park students scored the highest grades of 3, 4, or 5 on psychology exams and 95 percent scored 3 or better on biology exams.
Among students at Floral Park Memorial High School, Regents results showed increase mastery in trigonometry, science and social studies, Champ said. She said the social studies test included some “Common Core-ish” questions.
In AP results at Floral Park, 93 percent of students taking the European History exam scored a 3, 4 or 5, with 94 percent taking calculus scoring 3 or higher and 96 percent scoring 3 or higher in U.S. history.
Among graduating seniors, 46.7 percent of New Hyde Park students scored 3 or higher on AP exams they took, while 47.5 percent of Floral Park seniors scored 3 or higher.
In New Hyde Park, 63 percent of the senior class graduated with advanced Regents diplomas, with 55 percent of Floral Park students graduating with advanced Regents diplomas in June
Champ said 97 percent of seniors from New Hyde Park and 95 percent of Floral Park seniors continued their education after graduating high school.
In other developments:
• The school board issued a commendation to Maureen Kenney, Sewanhaka assistant superintendent for finance and operations, who is retiring this week. She worked in the Sewanhaka district for seven of her 30-years as an educator.
• The nine members of the Elmont Memorial High School Model UN team were honored for being recognized as best small high school team at an international competition during the summer in Beijing, China.
• A presentation of the bond proposition for capital projects at the five district high schools is scheduled for Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. in Sewanhaka High School.
