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

Resources:

2007 - NYSED English Language Arts Test Press Release and Data
2007 Gr. 3-8 ELA Raw Score to Scale Score Conversion Charts
2007 Gr. 3-8 ELA Scale Score to Performance Level Conversion Chart
Standard Performance Index Target Ranges
Scoring Key & Item Maps
2007 ELA Tests
ELA scores no cause for celebration

2007 - NYSED Math Test Press Release and Data
2007 Gr. 3-8 Math Raw Score to Scale Score Conversion Charts
2007 Gr. 3-8 Math Score to Performance Level Conversion Chart
Standard Performance Index Target Ranges
Scoring Key & Item Maps
2007 Math Tests
Math Scores Climb
Exam Scores Count as Success

Item Analysis Based on All 2007 ELA & Math Data
Item Analysis Based on All 2007 ELA & Math Benchmarks
Technical Reports on Exams
nySTART
nySTART Demo
nyPARENTS
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 -- 2006, Capital District

2007 4th & 8th Grade ELA Results
Capital District Performance on the 4th-Grade ELA Exam
2007 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
2007 8th-Grade ELA School District Rankings
Area ELA-8 Grade Point Average with High, Low & S-G

2007 4th & 8th Grade Math Results
Capital District Performance on the 4th-Grade Math Exam
2007 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
2007 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
2007 3rd-Grade ELA School District Rankings
2007 5th-Grade ELA School District Rankings
2007 6th-Grade ELA School District Rankings
2007 7th-Grade ELA School District Rankings

Percentage Passing All Math Exams in the Capital District
2007 3rd-Grade Math School District Rankings
2007 5th-Grade Math School District Rankings
2007 6th-Grade Math School District Rankings
2007 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
2007 Statewide ELA Rank For S-G
2007 Statewide Math Rank For S-G
2007 Statewide Overall Rank For S-G

As the table pertains to Scotia-Glenville, its performance on the 3rd- and 4th-grade ELA exams has dramatically improved.  This is the level of performance I believe our children are capable of producing on every state exam.  We've been near this level before--in 2000--from which we gradually fell to a much lower ranking.  But I'm optimistic that this time will be different.  Around 2000, the district switched to a largely discredited whole language approach to English, which we've been moving away from.  And this year, we began grouping  students by ability for reading.  I'm hopeful that these and not transient or random variables are responsible for the improved outcome on this exam.  We won't know for sure until we see the scores for 2008 and 2009.

S-G's ranking on the 5th-grade ELA exam dramatically fell.  This is because last year's scores were not accurate, as I explained here.  Therein, I said, "If the [2006 5th-grade ELA] score is 'real,' then one would expect the 2007 6th-grade results to be similarly high."  They aren't.  They're below last year's state ranking.  I now believe that the most likely cause of last year's atypically high percentage of 5th-graders scoring in the top level was the misinterpretation or misapplication of one or more scoring rubrics.

Nearly every district in the state (89.2%) had better 8th-grade ELA results this year.  See here and here.  Was this because teachers and students finally got it after 8 years of state exams?  All of them?  All at once?  Highly unlikely.  One teacher opined on my website, "I predict we will all see a big jump in [8th-grade] test scores from last year, particularly in math, as the tests this year were more reasonable and fair than last year."  Read "more reasonable and fair" as being "easier."  That's the most likely cause of nearly all the gain on the 8th-grade ELA exam.  S-G's mean score, relative to other school districts, ranks about the same as last year, but the percentage of our students scoring in the top level tied our previous high, with 33% of the schools in the state having a higher top-level score.

Another reason why 8th-grade exam scores may have suddenly improved is because previously students had a 4-year gap between state exams, but for the first time, this year's 8th-graders took an ELA test in the 7th grade, too.  The increase in test frequency may have produced higher exam scores through the process of repetition.  If that's the case, one would expect to see an improvement in the 7th grade ELA scores from last year.  They, also improved, by an average of 2 percentage points in the capital region, so the improvement was not as dramatic as the 9 percentage point improvement on the 8th-grade exam.  Doubtless, increasing testing frequency has an impact on test scores, but it's just one factor and likely not the single biggest factor driving the increase on the 8th-grade ELA exam.

S-G's performance on the math exams is a different story.  Although S-G's math scores improved on 5 out of 6 of the exams compared to last year, 45% of NY districts for which I have complete data (660 districts) had higher mean scores or higher pass rates on all 6 exams.  78% had better results on 5 of the exams, and 95.5% had better results on 4 of the exams, compared to their results from last year.  Relative to the improvements made in other school districts, S-G's mean score and top level rankings fell on every exam except two, for which its top-level ranking remained unchanged from last year.  Most other districts were able to make greater improvements on the math exams than SG and our statewide standing on math exams fell appreciably this year.

Here are some of the factors that affect exam outcomes:

What bothers me now is that our math performance is declining relative to other school districts and our ELA performance relative to other school districts declines as our children move through higher grades.  That shouldn't be happening.  One possible reason for the ELA problem could be the vestiges of the whole language curriculum.  Another reason may be a relatively high number of move-ins or transient students.  Finally, our curriculum may not progress as smoothly and as consistently as it should.  I briefly discuss this below.

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.

In theory, only the 2006 8th-grade ELA exam remained comparable to previous years. With the unprecedented increase in scores on this exam in 2007, it should be obvious that even this exam is no longer comparable to previous years.  Yet, 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 this year'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 this year'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.  Either that or it's willing to ignore them when the comparisons make favorable points.  Last year's comparisons looked bad and the state refused to make any.  It's called deliberate impercipience.

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.

Statewide 4th-grade ELA performance

Statewide 4th-grade math performance

Statewide 8th grade ELA performance

Statewide 8th-grade math performance