74°
GREENBURGH, N.Y. – At least one parent has called Greenburgh students’ test scores alarming, but district administrators insist there is no cause for concern.
While Greenburgh Central School District 7’s standardized testing scores were on the rise in 2010-11, and the district was marked in good standing by the state, test scores continue to come in under the state-wide average, both in math and English, statistics show.
“The bottom line is that our students are not meeting their potential I think in English and language arts or even meeting the standard learning level,” Amy Huang, president of the district’s Parent Teachers Association, told the board of education last week. “That’s a concern for me.”
In 2010-11 English and language arts testing, 50 percent of students in grades three through eight met state standards, according to a department of education report card.
While that number is up from 47 percent last year, it fails to meet the state average of 52 percent. At the seventh grade level, the district’s worst scoring grade, just 39 percent of students met or exceeded standards.
“I feel the kids could do much better,” Huang said.
District math scores paint a similar picture. In 2010-11, 61 percent of tested students met state standards. While that is an increase from last year’s 54 percent, it fails to meet the 63 percent average statewide.
And SAT scores at Woodlands High School were more of the same.
While the school's average composite score improved 20 points in 2011, it sits at 1,385, below the nationwide average of 1,500. In Westchester County, 36 high schools yielded higher averages than Woodlands.
Interim Superintendent and High School Principal Ronald Ross said he refused to put too much weight into the scores, pointing to Woodlands High School alumni currently studying at universities like Yale, Cornell, Georgia Tech and Harvard.
“We are always trying to get better but I for one will never put our attention on a test,” Ross said. “Our children are more than a test.”
Assistant Superintendent Susan Sciascia agreed, adding that while the district continues to monitor childrens’ scores, it will not put all of its emphasis on state standards.
“We don’t want to pigeon-hole on test scores alone,” Sciascia said. “Test scores only reflect some of it.”
Comments (4)
Really? Don't you just want to say we aren't dumping enough money at the problem and we need to raise our taxes more to solve this? And as we continue to wait and see (hope?) scores rise, you're abandoning these kids as they flounder through school with hopes of getting some of Greenburgh's subsidized and no-income housing, DSS benefits or simply leaving the area. It's why our private schools have waiting lists for parents not satisfied with hoping to see a change in our schools. Don't blame this on the superintendents, the libs have created their agenda and this is the result of it. We need to vote out all of the "expert" school board members, get some real administrators in there and get rid of the dead-wood teachers. Greenburgh is a laughing stock. The liberal social experiment has failed. We must return to reading, writing, math and science.
To: WPEyesNEars, you speak in shocking generalities. Taking pot shots here will not solve the problem, unless your desire is to fan the fire (ignorance and apathy will do that). As part of this communitye we are all responsible for educating our children. Btw, in case you are wondering- board of ed members are unpaid volunteers, they're concerned parents and community members who have stepped up to try to make a difference. I may not agree with all their decisions but I will NOT stand for anyone (YOU!) to call them names and degrade their efforts.
While I agree that we need to cultivate a "whole/well-rounded"child and that SAT score is not a good indicator of college success I believe that we need to ensure that our children are educated and be able to keep up with peers in other school districts. At minimum, our children need to be proficient in ELA (English language arts) and Math such that majority are receiving level 3 (meeting learning standards). Socioeconomic factors do not fully account for the poor standardized results. Neither does lack of parental involvement or occasional poor teachers. This is truly a complicated problem that requires EVERYONE to be part of the solution.
First off, having a long term Superintendent (for more than 3-4 yr at a time) will ensure educational continuity for the central administration. Second, greater emphasis on academic achievement is needed on all levels: from parents, Board of Ed, Superintendent (even the interim), Assistant Superintendents, Principals and teachers. Third, the Princeton Plan (clustering grade levels) adopted by our district is causing alot of disconnect for our kids going from school to school. Having 6 different schools cause disconnect for our children, parents and teachers. Currently our kids go through four schools just to get from PreK to 6th grade!! Continuity is key to catching kids who may need a little extra help to ensure that they mastered current grade level work before promoted to the next grade. Fourth, voting down the budget will not help the kids. The community needs to show that it cares about it's greatest asset- kids! The community need to attend Board of Ed meetings and Community Engagement Meetings and demand higher achievement if they feel they're not getting their tax dollar's worth in education.
All the parents in the GC7 district need to join together, learn about your kids' education by going to PTA meetings and Parent-Teacher conferences, attend Board of Ed meetings and community engagement committee meetings. We all bear responsibility for our kids' achievement.
WPEyes, I'm guessing we won't see you at our next BOE meeting? You won't be standing and asking the board and administrators to utilize our tax dollars for a higher standard of education for our children?? I wouldn't go so far to say that all the poor performing children are receiving subsidized, low income housing and DSS services. It IS possible for a child from a financially stapped family to achieve academic success! Looks like its a GOOD thing we won't have these types of conversations involved in the process of educating my children. Its a distraction.
As a parent, homeowner and tax payer, I say this... let's continue to see the testing scores rise! Of course we parents don't consider test scores to be the ultimate measure of a students achievement in school, but it sure does capture the fact that OVERALL, our children aren't reading well or understanding mathematics. These reports aren't only read by parents, but community members and prospective home buyers...although Ross and Sciascia don't think an emphasis should be placed on "scores" clearly, the general public pays attention to them. Some tax payers vote down our school budget solely bevause they dont see the EXCELLENCE from our kids and think the school system shouldnt be finded for producation of children performing at a below average standard. Therefore, these scores...they're VERY relevant.
While the high school SAT scores were low, my concern and focus is more on ELA results for grades 3-8. This is astonishingly low and not representative of the GC7 students I know. In fact, our 4-8 grades were mandated by the state to offer tutoring due to low performance. This is discraseful and extremely scary as a parent!
For some families, this 'test score' reason alone is why they pull their bright kids out of the district. While there is some spoken and unspoken concern of race (as usual in Greenburgh), this district is scarred by an exodus of high achieving/performing students AND parents! This leaves a small percentage of high achieving students, with a larger amount of average and low performing students in the school. To boot, the GIFTED PROGRAM has been cut, so the small amount of high achieving students don't have the same support and demand for excellence as before. The parents of these kids pay taxes but are now focused on their private school and don't attend BOE meetings to demand change for the kids left in the district...all of this is nothing new and needs to be addressed!
As parents, we need to make a dedication to our children and tax dollars by leaving our children in public school and coming to Board of Education meetings to ensure that we find the right Superintendent.
We need a superintendent who is focused on our children's success and academic EXCELLENCE, not the continuation of mediocracy!! The young minds of our children can and will process the information if we work together as parents, teachers AND administrators.