August 23, 2019
The State Education Department today released the results of the 2019 Grades 3-8 English language arts (ELA) and mathematics tests.
In statewide ELA results, 45.4 percent of all test takers in grades 3-8 scored at the proficient level (Levels 3 and 4) an increase of 0.2 percentage points from 2018. In statewide math results, 46.7 percent of all test takers in grades 3-8 scored at the proficient level, up 2.2 percentage points from 44.5 in 2018.
At OESJ, 37 percent of students achieved proficiency on the ELA exam, compared with 38 percent in 2018. On the mathematics exam, 40 percent achieved proficiency, compared with 43 percent in 2018.
“The Board of Regents and I are committed to ensuring that all children, regardless of where they go to school, have access to equitable opportunities and a high-quality education,” Chancellor Betty A. Rosa said. “As our Every Student Succeeds Act plan emphasizes, we need multiple, interlocking strategies to address achievement gaps as well as opportunity gaps. State assessments are one tool that helps us do that.”
“During my tenure with the New York State Education Department, I’m proud of the progress we have made in terms of reducing gaps in student achievement,” State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia said. “As I’ve consistently said, assessments are a part of the larger picture that we look at when we examine performance levels across the state. This year’s test scores are a positive sign that we are making progress and I believe the deliberative and thoughtful approach outlined in our State’s ESSA plan will continue to benefit the students of New York State.”
Here’s the press release from the state Education Department.
The tests are scored using the range from a high of Level 4 to a low of Level 1:
- Level 4 scores mean that students “excel in the state standards” for that grade level.
- Level 3 means that students are “proficient in the state standards” for that grade level.
- Level 2 scores mean that students are “not proficient in the state standards” for that grade level (partial but insufficient)
- Level 1 scores mean that students are “well below proficient in the state standards” for that grade level.
The mean scores indicate that half of the students scored above that figure and half scored below. The maximum scores on the ELA exams vary by grade, ranging from a maximum score of 419 on the grade 6 exam to a 395 on the grade 8 exam. On the mathematics exam, the highest top scores would range from 416 on the grade 5 exam to 401 on the grade 3 exam.
Here are the specific OESJ testing results:
Grade 3 ELA (56 students)
- Level 1 – 5 students, 9%
- Level 2 – 19 students, 34%
- Level 3 – 28 students, 50%
- Level 4 – 4 students, 7%
- Levels 3 and 4 (proficiency), 57%
- Mean score: 602
Grade 3 Math (56 students)
- Level 1 – 10 students, 18%
- Level 2 – 15 students, 27%
- Level 3 – 21 students, 38%
- Level 4 – 10 students, 18%
- Levels 3 and 4 (proficiency), 55%
- Mean score: 600
Grade 4 ELA (62 students)
- Level 1 – 13 students, 21%
- Level 2 – 25 students, 40%
- Level 3 – 15 students, 24%
- Level 4 – 9 students, 15%
- Levels 3 and 4 (proficiency), 39%
- Mean score: 596
Grade 4 Math (61 students)
- Level 1 – 19 students, 31%
- Level 2 – 18 students, 30%
- Level 3 – 14 students, 23%
- Level 4 – 10 students, 16%
- Levels 3 and 4 (proficiency), 39%
- Mean score: 593
Grade 5 ELA (67 students)
- Level 1 – 38 students, 57%
- Level 2 – 17 students, 25%
- Level 3 – 8 students, 12%
- Level 4 – 4 students, 6%
- Levels 3 and 4 (proficiency), 18%
- Mean score – 593
Grade 5 Math (66 students)
- Level 1 – 32 students, 48%
- Level 2 – 12 students, 18%
- Level 3 – 13 students, 20%
- Level 4 – 9 students, 14%
- Levels 3 and 4 (proficiency), 33%
- Mean score: 595
Grade 6 ELA (52 students)
- Level 1 – 15 students, 29%
- Level 2 – 14 students, 27%
- Level 3 – 10 students, 19%
- Level 4 – 13 students, 25%
- Levels 3 and 4 (proficiency), 44%
- Mean score: 598
Grade 6 Math (53 students)
- Level 1 – 17 students, 32%
- Level 2 – 10 students, 19%
- Level 3 – 13 students, 25%
- Level 4 – 13 students, 25%
- Levels 3 and 4 (proficiency), 49%
- Mean score: 602
Grade 7 ELA (50 students)
- Level 1 – 20 students, 40%
- Level 2 – 17 students, 34%
- Level 3 – 10 students, 20%
- Level 4 – 3 student, 6%
- Levels 3 and 4 (proficiency), 26%
- Mean score: 594
Grade 7 Math (49 students)
- Level 1 – 15 students, 31%
- Level 2 – 16 students, 33%
- Level 3 – 15 students, 31%
- Level 4 – 3 students, 6%
- Levels 3 and 4 (proficiency), 37%
- Mean score: 596
Grade 8 ELA (30 students)
- Level 1 – 9 students, 30%
- Level 2 – 9 students, 30%
- Level 3 – 9 students, 30%
- Level 4 – 3 students, 10%
- Levels 3 and 4 (proficiency), 40%
- Mean score: 593
Grade 8 Math (18 students)
- Level 1 – 10 students, 56%
- Level 2 – 7 students, 39%
- Level 3 – 1 students, 6%
- Level 4 – 0 students, 0%
- Levels 3 and 4 (proficiency), 6%
- Mean score: 587
The opt-out rate (called the “test refusal rate by the state Education Department) declined by two points from 2018 to approximately 16 percent across the state (both ELA and math).
At OESJ, 12.1% of students refused to take the ELA test and 16.7% refused to take the mathematics test in the spring.