Taking the test

First phase of state testing draws to a close for M-W Students, By Michelle Brazil Rugnetta Central Valley - Early each year, more than 3,400 Monroe-Woodbury students in grades three through eighth take the New York State assessments, covering English through reading and writing skills as well as math. And for many years running, the scores achieved by those students have placed Monroe-Woodbury within the top three districts in the county. “Monroe-Woodbury students perform consistently well on state and federally-mandated standardized tests,” said Carole O’Neill, the district’s assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, “and it is proof positive that our school district is providing a high standard of education to our students.” The federal “No Child Left Behind” law creates even more incentive for the district and the individual schools to perform well on these tests. As part of the national assessment program, Monroe-Woodbury schools are compared against other schools nationwide. Scoring beneath the national standard could lead to serious changes in federal funding for the problem school until the administrators can raise the students scores. That hasn’t been an issue in Monroe-Woodbury. But doesn’t all this standardized testing mean that teachers are pressured to “teach to the test?” O’Neill disagrees. “Most districts focus on the appropriate content, skills and strategies for a grade level that are a part of the district’s curriculum,” she said. “This curriculum is mapped out and paced over the year. Benchmark assessments are given throughout the year to assess each student and their learning to meet the standards. Teachers in individual classrooms are free to choose the methods, materials and resources that they will use to communicate the concepts and strategies necessary for the students to meet the standards.” Ally Zison, a fifth grader at Pine Tree Elementary, said, her teacher prepared the student “really well, telling us to slow down when we got stressed out over a question.” When it came to taking the test, Ally said: “It was really easy, and I didn’t feel that it was very challenging. It only took one and a half hours.” Waiting for the scores Reports will be issued to the district, the schools and the parents in August and September. They will include a scale score, from 1-4, and a performance level in comparison to other students who took the tests. This feedback will be important for teachers and administrators in revising their programs to better meet the needs of the community and the individual students. Parents also will be able to track their child’s performance over time. A new reporting system will allow the child’s previous years performance to show on each year’s report, starting in 2007. However, since the state can assess different subject areas each year, the scores may not be comparable in sequential grades. As for tracking the district’s performance as a whole, the new state reporting will change from a grade score for the district, for example, all Monroe-Woodbury fifth graders, to a individual school score, for example, Pine Tree Elementary. That will allow specific learning issues to be addressed not only at an individual student level, but also at the school level. “The New York State assessments are just a snapshot of a student’s performance at a specific grade level,” O’Neill said. “At Monroe Woodbury we focus on the whole child by providing engaging and diverse lessons in all classrooms. Students are exposed to rich literature and complex mathematical and scientific problems that are challenging and thought provoking. They write and read across the content areas as well as exploring the arts, music and physical fitness.’ For more information, visit the New York State Education Department’s Web site (www.emsc.nysed.gov).