Prior Years' Data:
1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004 2005 2006 2007

Resources:

2008 - NYSED English Language Arts & Math Test Press Release
2008 - NYSED ELA & Math Databases
2008 Gr. 3-8 ELA & Math Score Interpretation Data
NYSED District Report Cards
Technical Reports on Exams
nySTART
nyPARENTS
Myshortpencil's 2008 Ranking of NY Schools
Scotia-Glenville's Website Data Report

Related News Articles with Commentary

Statewide Student Achievement Improves
Reading and Math Scores Rise Sharply Across N.Y.
Urban schools narrow gap
The schools delivered
Mayor Sees a Test Scores Triumph
Student test scores better, but how much?
More Rochester-area students making the grade
Test scores up, until 8th grade
Improving test scores good news
Study Sought Of Test Score Gains in N.Y.
Scorekeeper for Schools
This is a test. Results may vary.

TABLES AND CHARTS

Summary Data
Percentage of NY Schools Having Higher Scores Than S-G
A Note on Making Comparisons Across Years
Statewide ELA-4 Scores 1999 to Present
Statewide Math-4 Scores 1999 to Present
Statewide ELA-8 Scores 1999 to Present
Statewide Math-8 Scores 1999 to Present
S-G Math & English Scores by Performance Levels
S-G Ranking Among 41 Capital District Schools
The Range of Passing Scores on All Exams -- 2008, Capital District
Change in Class Grade Point Average from 3rd to 8th Grade

2008 4th & 8th Grade ELA Results
Capital District Performance on the 4th-Grade ELA Exam
2008 4th-Grade ELA School District Rankings
Area ELA-4 Grade Point Average with High, Low & S-G
Capital District Performance on the 8th-Grade ELA Exam
2008 8th-Grade ELA School District Rankings
Area ELA-8 Grade Point Average with High, Low & S-G

2008 4th & 8th Grade Math Results
Capital District Performance on the 4th-Grade Math Exam
2008 4th-Grade Math School District Rankings
Area Math-4 Grade Point Average with High, Low & S-G
Capital District Performance on the 8th-Grade Math Exam
2008 8th-Grade Math School District Rankings
Area Math-8 Grade Point Average with High, Low & S-G

3rd, 5th, 6th & 7th Grade ELA & Math Charts
Percentage Passing All ELA Exams in the Capital District
2008 3rd-Grade ELA School District Rankings
2008 5th-Grade ELA School District Rankings
2008 6th-Grade ELA School District Rankings
2008 7th-Grade ELA School District Rankings

Percentage Passing All Math Exams in the Capital District
2008 3rd-Grade Math School District Rankings
2008 5th-Grade Math School District Rankings
2008 6th-Grade Math School District Rankings
2008 7th-Grade Math School District Rankings

Five Final Graphics
Area Average Pass Rate on All Exams by Grade
Area GPA for All Exams and All Years
2008 Statewide ELA Rank For S-G
2008 Statewide Math Rank For S-G
2008 Statewide Overall Rank For S-G

Color/Intensity Interpretation:  black - unchanged or initial if not the best or worst score; blue - better than previous year; magenta - worse than previous year; green - best year ever; red - worst year ever; bold of any color but green - 50% or more of NY schools had better results.

Is Scotia-Glenville Crashing?

Relative to the performance of other school districts, 2008 was Scotia-Glenville's worst performance ever on state exams.  Of the 24 categories tracked above, S-G set record lows in 13 of them.  In 10 of the categories, our students would have had an even or better than even chance of performing better in any other randomly chosen school district.  The brightest spot was a new record high for the percentage of students scoring in the top level on the 8th-grade ELA exam.  That was stupendous.  As 4th-graders in 2004, 38% of school districts did better on the top level, but as 8th-graders in 2008, only 28% did.  While that's a vast improvement, and perhaps a blip in the data more than a sustainable outcome for future years, it's still below the 20% level of performance that I believe our students are capable of achieving.   Also notable, the 7th- and 8th-grade math classes backed off last year's lows, with the exception of the percentage of students performing in the top level in the 7th grade. 

The performance on the 3rd- and 4th-grade ELA exams plummeted.  How can 2007 3rd-graders besting roughly 77% of schools in the state suddenly beat only 50% as 2008 4th graders?  A similarly perplexing drop occurred between 2007 6th graders and 2008 7th graders on the ELA exam.  But on the math exam, last year's worst ever third-grade scores became this year's worst ever 4th-grade scores.  The same goes for the 5th- to 6th-grade ELA scores and the 6th- to 7th-grade top level math score.  So, that much was consistent.  

Perhaps worst of all is that the district has only 1 3-year upward trend, and that's for the 8th-grade ELA top-level score.  And for next year, the only chance it has for a new 3-year upward trend is for the 8th-grade ELA mean score.  In my opinion, 3-year trends are crucial for determining whether score changes are random or being produced by effective improvements in instruction.

Statewide, 99.1% of school districts improved their average passing scores on all exams.  That follows a record setting improvement rate last year with 93.5% besting the prior year's performance.  Are passing rates steadily rising almost everywhere because teachers and students finally got it after 9 years of state exams?  Almost all of them?  All at once?  Highly unlikely.  

Here are some of the factors that affect exam outcomes:

Note on comparisons across years:  The table above, comparing the ranking of S-G's performance relative to other school districts, is the best means for making comparisons to earlier years with data from 2006 and thereafter.  In 2006, the state recalibrated its exams, which I commented on here.  By comparing rankings rather than scores, the effects of the recalibration are negated because every school district experienced the same changes.

There is one aspect in which all the exams are comparable--the performance levels for each exam show how well teachers and students did in meeting existing state standards--as tested, scored and scaled--at the time of the exam.

Incredibly, despite State Ed's insistence that results from 2006 and thereafter should not be compared to earlier years, slide #2 from 2007's Commissioner's ELA Press Conference states:

When [the] first 4th grade test was given in 1999, only 48% of students achieved the standards. This year, 68% did.

In 1999, only 48% achieved standards in 8th grade. This year 57% did. 

And slide #6 from 2007's Commissioner's Math Press Conference states:

When the first 4th grade test was given in 1999, 67% of students met all the standards. This year, 80% did.

In 1999, 38% of 8th grade students met the standards. This year, 59% did.

Who's making comparisons now?!  Apparently the state doesn't believe it's own non-comparison disclaimers, though in 2008 it dropped comparisons to years prior to 2006.  

While I'm thinking about it, it takes multiple years of exam results to know whether the current results are a trend or an aberration, but even that may no longer be the case since persistent grade inflation now appears to have infected state exam outcomes.  This grade inflation is most likely directly related to a policy decision requiring a showing of constant improvement to bolster public support for public education, to boost educators' self-esteem and to avoid the undesirable consequences of the No Child Left Behind law for making inadequate yearly progress.

Statewide 4th-grade ELA performance

Statewide 4th-grade math performance

Statewide 8th grade ELA performance

Statewide 8th-grade math performance