|
|
 |
 |
|
Welcome to the Spencerport Central School District
Dear Community,
The excitement and energy for a new school year continues to build among our staff and teachers, as we prepare for students to return to our Spencerport hallways.
Some changes have occurred this summer – most notably, the New York State Education Department’s adjustment of the “cut scores” on the state’s grade 3-8 English and math exams. In an effort to determine a student’s overall proficiency, the state asserts that its exams have become too easy and predictable, and therefore ineffective in forecasting success in high school and beyond. Therefore, the state has amended its scoring scales to:
- measure student progress,
- become a better predictor of success in high school and college
- encourage districts to pursue more academic rigor, and
- provide additional support for students who may be struggling in core areas.
Like school districts across the state, Spencerport’s assessment results declined based on this adjusted scoring, and we must now redouble our efforts to ensure our students are poised for success whether in high school or college and career pursuits.
We will be reviewing all of our children who scored at a lower level based on these new ranges to determine if a student’s academic history indicates they need additional support or if the lower score is based on a single assessment. We will then adjust our response to each child accordingly.
The state’s reform certainly challenges us all to raise the bar in educating our children, and we will continue to work hard to be an academic district of choice to our residents and renew our resolve to educate and inspire each student.
Sincerely,
Bonnie Seaburn
Superintendent
Common understandings regarding the NYS
Assessments and the new "cut scores"
We wanted our Spencerport families to know about these new cut scores and how they will affect student scores and district scores.
Like school districts across the state, Spencerport’s assessment results declined based on this adjusted scoring, however we want to assure you that our students are making progress. The new cut scores challenge us to now redouble our efforts to ensure our students are poised for success whether in high school or college and career pursuits.
As soon as we receive individual student scoring reports, we will be mailing them to you. When you review your child’s results please keep in mind that we use a body of data and not one single assessment to determine your child’s progress toward meeting standards. As parents, the best way to know how your child is doing is to keep in contact with your child’s teacher(s) and the school.
Provided here are a few questions and answers we hope will be helpful to you. In addition under related files, please find the NYS Department of Education’s press release and the commissioner’s powerpoint.
Q: What are “cut scores”?
A: The State Education Department (SED) sets the passing score for each of the NYS assessments. In English Language Arts and math, passing (a level 3) has been a score of 650 or better for the last several years. This year, the passing score has been raised at each grade level for English Language Arts and math.
For example a 3rd grade student scoring a 650 scale score last year was deemed “proficient” or meeting standard. This is more commonly referred to as obtaining a “Level 3”. This year that same 3rd grade student would need to have a scale score of 684 to meet proficiency. A student scoring below this score of 684 will achieve a “Level 2”, or not meeting standard. This “raising of the bar” has resulted in a drop in the number of students meeting proficiency on this year’s ELA and Math assessments.
Q: Why were the cut scores raised?
The Commissioner recommended to the Board of Regents that they adjust the “cut scores” on the state’s grade 3-8 math and English assessments based on research that clearly suggests the need to more accurately indicate “proficiency” on those exams. Ultimately, the state has amended its scoring scales to:
- better measure student progress,
- encourage districts to pursue more academic rigor, and
- provide additional support for students who may be struggling in core areas.
Q: What does this mean for my child?
Spencerport Schools, along with all of the other districts in NYS, have been teaching the curriculum that has been measured by the state tests. SED is stating that the bar for those tests was set too low and we now need a more rigorous set of standards to truly indicate proficiency.
We will be examining our curriculum to respond to more challenging assessments and we will be looking at any professional development that is needed to enhance our staff training related to these recent changes.
Q: What research was conducted?
SED conducted a review of research that analyzed how student performance on the grade 3-8 state tests relates to performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) exam; how student performance on the state’s eighth grade math and English tests relates to later performance on Regents exams; and how performance on Regents exams relates to first year performance in college. Additional data was provided that linked NYS assessments to SAT scores.
Q: What did the research find?
Regarding the grade 3-8 NYS assessments in ELA and math:
- Students at the current Level 3 proficiency standard (a score of 650) on their 8th grade math exam have less than a 1 in 3 chance of earning an 80 on their math Regents;
- Students in high need districts at the current Level 3 proficiency standard on their 8th grade ELA exam have about a 50-50 chance of earning a 75 on the English Regents;
Regarding results on Regents exams:
- Students who score below an 80 on their math Regents exam have a much greater likelihood of being placed in a remedial college course;
- Students who score above an 80 on their math Regents exam have a good chance of earning at least a C in college-level math;
- Students scoring below 80 on their math regents and below 75 on their English Regents exams have a high likelihood of scoring below 500 on the SAT.
- Students who score at least a 75 on their English Regents exam have a good chance of earning at least a C in Freshman Composition;
- Institutions of higher education around the state consider a score of 75-85 on Regents exams to be the bare minimum for college readiness;
Q: What about Academic Intervention Services (AIS)…will my child be receiving these services if they had previously scored a level 3 and now have scored a level 2?
For the 2010-2011 school year only, AIS regulations have been waived so that students who are mandated to receive AIS will be those students who score below the old passing rate of 650.
However, we will be reviewing information on all children who score a level 1 or 2 to determine if a student’s academic history indicates they are having difficulty or if it was a low score on a single assessment. We will then provide services accordingly.
Q: What is the overall goal for making these changes?
SED is now improving our assessments by raising cut scores, making the exams less predictable, testing more areas, and making the tests longer. But more rigorous exams are only one piece of the Regents broader reform vision – a vision that includes a more challenging curriculum, better training for teachers and principals, and a world-class data system. In short, SED’s goal is to lift the bar to ensure that New York remains at the very forefront of the national effort to raise standards.
Although it is difficult for us to learn that what we believed is “proficient” may not be the case, we now need to redouble our efforts to provide a quality education for each child.
Our mission is to educate and inspire each student to love learning, pursue excellence and use knowledge, skills and attitudes to contribute respectfully and confidently to an ever-changing global community.
 |
pdf file: You need Adobe Acrobat Reader (version 7 or higher) to view this file. Download the free Adobe Acrobat Reader for PC or Macintosh. |
|
|
|
 |
