Concern as New York elementary students' math scores dip

October 14, 2009 by JOHN HILDEBRAND / john.hildebrand@newsday.com

New York State's elementary math achievement has dipped for the first time in nearly a decade, according to results from new U.S. tests that contradict Albany's earlier claims of steady gains.

This year's fourth-grade results from the federally funded National Assessment of Educational Progress show that New York State's scaled scores dropped 2 points from 2007. The state's latest average score is 241, on a scale of zero to 500.

National scores remain flat, meanwhile, at 239.

In Albany, the state's new education commissioner, David Steiner, voiced "great concern" over the lack of improved scores, the discrepancy between results recorded on federal and state tests, and the continued wide gap between white students and those who are black or Hispanic.

Steiner, who took over Oct. 1, added that the latest federal scores underlined the need to raise passing standards on state tests, and to revise tests themselves "so they have greater depth and breadth and at the same time eliminate the predictability of the questions asked."

Results on U.S. eighth-grade math tests, meanwhile, rose 2 points nationally and 3 points in this state. The latest eighth-grade averages are 282 for the nation, 283 for New York.

Changes in state scores since 2007, including the fourth-grade decline, are not considered statistically significant. Many Albany officials are embarrassed, nonetheless, that federal tests of fourth-graders show no gains in the state from 2007, while the state's tests show continuous improvement.

In June, for example, the State Education Department reported that the percentage of fourth-graders passing math tests statewide rose from 79.9 in 2007, to 87.2 in 2009. Nassau County's passing figures improved from 92.7 percent to 95 percent, while Suffolk's rose from 86.6 percent to 91.1 percent.

On Long Island, many educators speculate that the state boosted passing rates artificially in recent years by lowering cutoff scores. State officials deny this, but say they might stiffen their testing to bring it closer to federal standards.

Henry Grishman, president of Nassau's Council of School Superintendents, says his colleagues would support any effort to improve the validity of state testing. But Grishman, who is superintendent of Jericho schools, questioned whether some time and money now devoted to federally mandated testing in grades 3-8 might "be better used in training teachers and improving their skills in the classroom."