Mattituck-Cutchogue was the only major school district on the North Fork whose students fared better than statewide averages in the 2016-2017 Common Core proficiency tests.
Statewide, 39.9 percent of students in grades three through eight met or exceeded proficiency standards in English language arts and 37.8 percent met or exceeded proficiency standards in math, according to the New York State Education Department. Those results were slightly better than last year’s statewide, the education department said in a press release announcing the publication of test scores yesterday.
In Mattituck-Cutchogue, 52.5 percent of students in grades three through eight met or exceeded proficiency standards in English language arts and 58.8 percent met or exceeded them in math, according to data posted on the education department website.
Southold Union Free School District had 38.3 percent of its students in grades three through eight meet or exceed proficiency standards in English language arts, while 26.2 percent met that threshold in math.
Just 16.6 percent of students in Greenport Union Free School District met or exceeded ELA proficiency standards, while 22 percent met or exceeded the standards in math.
In Riverhead Central School District, 19.2 percent met or exceeded state standards in ELA, while 20.2 met or exceeded them in math.
Scores in all four districts fell slightly compared to 2016.
The state expanded testing and conformed the assessment tests to the Common Core curriculum implemented in New York’s schools by state mandate at the beginning of the 2012-2013 school year. It was part of a nationwide education initiative that sets new standards for what is expected of students. According to EngageNY.org, an informational website from the New York State Education Department, the standards “serve as a consistent set of expectations for what students should learn and be able to do, so that we can ensure that every student across New York State is on track for college and career readiness.”
But the new standards and curriculum triggered a firestorm of protest — and a widespread “opt-out” movement calling on parents to have their children refuse the tests. This year the average refusal rate statewide was 19 percent.
All of the local school districts had test refusal rates that far exceeded the statewide average in 2017. Greenport led the North Fork districts in refusal rates: 74.1 percent of students eligible for testing refused to test. Southold was next with 56.1 percent, then Mattituck with 44.5 percent, followed by Riverhead with 42.2 percent.
David Gamberg, superintendent of both Greenport and Southold school districts, said he continues to be concerned with the validity of the tests.
“There is a growing recognition, not only statewide but nationwide, that we need to assess students using a broad-based set of criteria,” he said. “Authentic assessment coupled with well-informed, developmentally appropriate measurements should guide instruction. It can and should help students of all ages, as well as teachers and schools, set goals for improvement. The most successful public and private schools use such an assessment program,” Gamberg said.
“The current flawed assessment system that has been seeking refinement for the past several years does not achieve those goals,” he said.
Riverhead School Superintendent Nancy Carney said educators are looking forward to the state “revamping the current accountability system” in the next school year.
“Once the new standards are in place with a more flexible accountability system, which will include multiple measures of assessment, we will have the opportunity to start fresh,” Carney said.
The state board of regents is expected to adopt new standards, dubbed “Next Generation Standards,” next month, according to NYSED. School districts will conduct professional development on the new standards for the next three academic years. They will be fully implemented in September 2020 and will be tested on in spring 2021.
