1. 1 2008 Grade 3-8 English Language Arts and Math Results

2. 2 Meeting Regents Goals Regents set 2 major goals: Raise achievement overall, and Close the achievement gap. Results being announced today show progress in meeting these goals.

3. 3 Why Did Performance Go Up? State invested an additional $3.4B in support for schools over 2 years. Regents adopted reforms in teaching: More teachers than ever before are highly qualified under NCLB. Regents adopted a grade-by-grade curriculum that sets clear expectations. Schools are embracing changes in the curriculum, focusing on professional development.

4. 4 Bottom Line Grades 3-8 Overall Performance is up in Math and ELA. More students are meeting the standards. Math: 81% of students are at Levels 3 & 4. English: 68.5% of students are at Levels 3 & 4. Decline in performance after 5 th grade appears to be changing. Fewer students are at Level 1 in both subjects.

5. 5 The Gap is Narrowing Performance of Black and Hispanic students continues to improve. Students with Disabilities are doing better - a large decrease in the number at Level 1. ELL students’ performance in English continues to improve. There were significant improvements in the Big 5 Cities.

6. 6 Percentage of Students Statewide Scoring at Levels 3 and 4 on Grades 3-8 English and Math

7. 7 2008 3-8 English Language Arts

8. 8 Achievement is up in English statewide, except in Grade 8. Percentage of Students Scoring at Levels 3 and 4 Grade 3 185,603 198,457195,777 Grade 4190,951 197,499197,016 Grade 5201,262 202,133198,022 Grade 6204,249 204,463200,505 Grade 7210,735 211,839207,278 Grade 8212,320 213,971209,180 Grades 3-81,205,1201,228,3621,207,778 Number Tested 2006 2007 2008 2008 3-8 ELA results

9. 9 Fewer students showed serious academic difficulties in English in all grades, including Grade 8. Percentage of Students Scoring at Level 1 2008 3-8 ELA results

10. 10 More Students with Disabilities are meeting the English standards at every grade level, except Grade 8. Percentage of Students with Disabilities Scoring at Levels 3 and 4 Grade 323,811 26,69227,285 Grade 426,474 28,28129,983 Grade 528,987 29,98530,661 Grade 628,883 29,05531,195 Grade 729,237 29,84231,180 Grade 829,119 29,51431,077 Grades 3-8166,511 173,369181,381 Number Tested 2006 2007 2008 2008 3-8 ELA results

11. 11 The achievement gap in English is narrowing for Black and Hispanic students. Percentage of Students Scoring at Levels 3 and 4 2008 3-8 ELA results

12. 12 Overall, the percentage of Black students at levels 3 and 4 has increased. Percentage of Black Students Scoring at Levels 3 and 4 2008 3-8 ELA results

13. 13 Overall, the percentage of Hispanic students at levels 3 and 4 has increased. Percentage of Hispanic Students Scoring at Levels 3 and 4 2008 3-8 ELA results

14. 14 The performance of ELL students on the English test improved overall. Percentage of ELL Students Scoring at Levels 3 and 4 200620072008 Grade 3 3,68417,09317,433 Grade 4 4,37914,20014,683 Grade 5 6,686 11,48011,916 Grade 6 5,585 9,93410,323 Grade 7 6,234 9,299 9,798 Grade 8 5,85210,076 9,046 Grades 3-8 32,42072,08273,199 Number of ELL Students Tested 2008 3-8 ELA results

15. 15 A much smaller percentage of ELL students showed serious academic difficulties in English. 2008 3-8 ELA results Percentage of ELL Students Scoring at Level 1

16. 16 Percentage of Students Scoring at Levels 3 and 4 The Big 5 districts showed substantial performance improvements in English. 2008 3-8 ELA results

17. 17 2008 3-8 Math

18. 18 Achievement in math is up statewide. Percentage of Students Scoring at Levels 3 and 4 Number of Students Tested 2006 2007 2008 Grade 3201,956200,217197,500 Grade 4202,791199,391198,730 Grade 5209,242203,956199,746 Grade 6211,428206,220202,058 Grade 7217,308213,436209,039 Grade 8219,414215,415210,716 Grades 3-81,262,1391,238,6351,217,789 2008 3-8 math results

19. 19 Fewer students showed serious academic difficulties in math in all grades, including Grade 8. Percentage of Students Scoring at Level 1 2008 3-8 math results

20. 20 More Students with Disabilities met the math standards at every grade level. Percentage of Students with Disabilities Scoring at Levels 3 and 4 Grade 327,045 26,78027,325 Grade 429,043 28,32730,072 Grade 530,290 29,96030,662 Grade 630,077 29,04031,119 Grade 729,791 29,65931,037 Grade 829,539 29,30530,899 Grades 3-8175,785 173,071181,114 Number Tested 2006 2007 2008 2008 3-8 math results

21. 21 The achievement gap in math is narrowing for Black and Hispanic students. Percentage of Students Scoring at Levels 3 and 4 2008 3-8 math results

22. 22 The percentage of Black students meeting the math standards increased significantly at every grade level. Percentage of Black Students Scoring at Levels 3 and 4 2008 3-8 math results

23. 23 The percentage of Hispanic students meeting the math standards increased significantly at every grade level. Percentage of Hispanic Students Scoring at Levels 3 and 4 2008 3-8 math results

24. 24 Percentage of Students Scoring at Levels 3 and 4 The Big 5 districts showed substantial performance improvements in math. 2008 3-8 math results

25. 25 Ensuring These Results are Accurate New York’s testing system passed rigorous peer review by U.S. Dept. of Education. Technical Advisory Group – a panel of national testing experts - reviews all aspects of our testing program. SED conducts expert independent analysis of vendor work.

26. 26 Why Did Performance Go Up? State invested an additional $3.4B in support for schools over 2 years. New grade by grade curriculum sets clear expectations. Schools are embracing changes in State curriculum. This is the third year of 3-8 testing. The system is responding.

27. 27 What Have the Regents and SED Done to Raise Achievement? Approved new, higher math standards, developed by educators statewide. Eliminated uncertified teachers statewide. Worked closely with schools to produce a well- defined, grade-by-grade math core curriculum based on those standards. Worked with Big 5 math directors, BOCES, other math experts to reach a common understanding of the new curriculum and the best ways to implement it in the schools.

28. 28 What did Schools do to Improve Student Performance? Developed a three-year plan to improve student performance. Made changes to curriculum and instruction especially for students receiving extra help. Extra help changes as students’ needs change. Weekly assessments – using the results to modify and tailor instruction weekly.

29. 29 What did Schools do to Improve Student Performance? Staff development in math for all teachers. Adopted a new math program more closely aligned to State standards. Evidence indicates that strong educational leadership works. Schools improved where principals set the tone and provided needed guidance. Support from BOCES, including SETRC, in curriculum mapping and individualized instruction.

30. 30 What did Schools do to Improve Student Performance? Expect good results for all students and provide the supports the students need to succeed. Increasing emphasis on reading and writing has also improved math scores.

31. 31 Bottom Line Grades 3-8 Overall Performance is up in Math and ELA. More students are meeting the standards. Math: 81% of students are at Levels 3 & 4. English: 68.5% of students are at Levels 3 & 4. Decline in performance after 5 th grade appears to be changing. Fewer students are at Level 1 in both subjects.

32. 32 The Gap is Narrowing Performance of Black and Hispanic students continues to improve. Students with Disabilities are doing better - a large decrease in the number at Level 1. ELL students’ performance in English continues to improve. There were significant improvements in the Big 5 Cities.

33. 33 Additional Details

34. 34 3-8 English Language Arts

35. 35 At all grade levels, the mean scale score was above 650, the score that denotes meeting the ELA standards. 2008 3-8 ELA results 650

36. 36 2008 English Language Arts Total Public Grades 3, 4, and 5

37. 37 2008 English Language Arts Total Public Grades 6, 7, and 8

38. 38 Percentage of Students Scoring at Level 3 and 4 2008 Grades 3-8 ELA BY NRC LEVELS 3 & 4

39. 39 The percentage of students with serious academic difficulties decreased for all racial/ethnic groups. Percentage of Students Scoring at Level 1 2008 3-8 ELA results

40. 40 In every grade, the percentage of Students with Disabilities showing serious academic difficulties decreased. Percentage of Students with Disabilities Students Scoring at Level 1 2008 3-8 ELA results

41. 41 Percentage of Students with Disabilities Scoring at Levels 3 and 4 Results for Student with Disabilities increased among all NRC categories. 2008 3-8 ELA results

42. 42 3-8 Math

43. 43 At all grade levels, the mean scale score was above 650, the score that denotes meeting the math standard. 650 2008 3-8 math results

44. 44 2008 Math Total Public Grades 3, 4, and 5

45. 45 2008 Math Total Public Grades 6, 7, and 8

46. 46 The percent of Black and Hispanic students scoring at level 1 has decreased significantly. Percentage of Students Scoring at Level 1 2008 3-8 math results

47. 47 In every grade level, fewer Students with Disabilities showed serious academic difficulties. Percentage of Students with Disabilities Scoring at Level 1 2008 3-8 math results

48. 48 Percentage of Student with Disabilities Scoring at Levels 3 and 4 Student with Disabilities results increased among all NRC categories. 2008 3-8 math results

49. 49 Percentage of Students Scoring at Levels 3 and 4 Across all NRC categories, a larger percentage of students are meeting the math standard. 2008 3-8 math results

50. 50 Fewer students showed serious academic difficulties this year in each of the Big 5 districts. Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse show strong three year declines in students scoring at level one. 2008 3-8 math results Percentage of Big 5 Districts Students Scoring at Level 1