Posted by Jericho schools Superintendent Hank Grishman. For the 2022-23 school year, 84% of Jericho's students scored with distinction on the English exam, while 71% did so in algebra. Credit: /Drew Singh
Dozens of school districts across Long Island recorded passage rates of 90% or better during the latest administration of state Regents exams in algebra and English, a Newsday analysis found.
On both of those heavily used tests, districts in Nassau and Suffolk counties ranked among the highest performing in the state, according to Newsday's review of data from the state Department of Education. In algebra, for example, 36 local systems were among the top 100 statewide.
High achievers in algebra included the Garden City and North Shore districts, where 100% of students who were tested scored “proficient” or better. Other districts with high numbers were Cold Spring Harbor, Massapequa and Syosset, each 98% proficient; Sayville, at 94%; and Commack, at 93%.
A “proficient” rating means students have met the state's minimum requirement in math for earning a high school diploma.
Many students scored high enough to attain academic “distinction” — the highest category of achievement recognized by the state. Seventeen of the 32 districts statewide where at least half of students scored with distinction were located on the Island.
Results on English exams revealed a similar pattern. Of the 100 districts statewide with the largest numbers of student “proficiency” ratings, 34 were in Nassau or Suffolk counties.
“Long Island performs very well academically when compared to the rest of the state, and that's due to the high quality of education that is delivered systematically across the region,” said Bob Vecchio, executive director of the Nassau-Suffolk School Boards Association.
Vecchio acknowledged in a phone interview that some local districts continued to struggle, but added, “There are encouraging signs as we continue to emerge post-pandemic. Long Island continues to rebound.”
Newsday's review covered exam results for more than 250,000 students statewide in more than 640 districts. That included more than 41,000 students in 104 districts in Nassau and Suffolk.
Exams were administered in August 2022, January 2023 and last June. Results analyzed were in Algebra I and English Language Arts, two of the subjects most often tested.
Statewide, there are some signs of possible slippage in student achievement in recent years. In 2018-19, the year before the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, 71% of students statewide scored “proficient” in algebra, and 84% did so in English, according to the state Education Department's data website. In 2022-23, the corresponding numbers were 65% in algebra and 77% in English.
A scale score of 85 or higher is required to achieve “distinction,” while 65 is required to reach “proficient,” or what amounts to at least minimum passing level. According to the state, students in the lower part of the proficient range “meet the content area requirements for a Regents diploma but may need additional support to succeed at the next level of coursework.”
High-achieving districts typically set a goal for students to reach the “distinction” level, which is also commonly known as “mastery.”
“We believe our students can reach mastery level,” said Hank Grishman, superintendent of the 3,200-student Jericho system. “While we're very proud of the results, we're always looking for ways to make things better.”
For the 2022-23 school year, 84% of Jericho's students scored with distinction on the English exam, while 71% did so in algebra.
The state generally requires students to pass four or five Regents exams in the areas of English, math, science and history in order to earn high school diplomas. Exams typically are taken at some point during students' four years of high school, or in middle grades for those who are academically accelerated.
The Algebra I exam is often taken in ninth grade or earlier. English Language Arts is often taken in 11th grade, though some students take it in grades 10 or 12.
Over the past 20 years or so, many districts have shifted their emphasis from state exams, which are written at a college-prep level, to privately published tests set at a college level. The best known examples are Advanced Placement tests sponsored by the Manhattan-based College Board, and International Baccalaureate exams, provided by an organization of the same name headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
This year, Regents exams are back in the spotlight, however. The state's Board of Regents, which sets educational policy, is considering changes that would allow students more options in earning diplomas, either by passing Regents exams as they do now, or through other alternatives yet to be spelled out. The state's education commissioner, Betty A. Rosa, who formerly headed the Regents board, has announced more details will be provided in the fall.
The suggestion that an exam system used in New York's high schools since the 1870s might be downgraded in some fashion has touched off statewide debate. Major education organizations, including a statewide teachers union, have lined up on the side of change, while some other school leaders have voiced reservations over the potential shift.
One regional authority who favors change is Joanne Fennessy, president of the Association of Mathematics Supervisors of Long Island. Fennessy said while she continues to see value in Regents exams, she hopes for a broader approach that would allow students to demonstrate their readiness to graduate through other routes as well. As an example, she cited the possibility of using portfolios of students' coursework in math to measure achievement.
“I hope the proposal before the Regents board will open broader pathways for students,” Fennessy said.
Skeptics, on the other hand, questioned whether student portfolios or other alternative means of assessment could serve as uniform statewide measures of achievement in the same way as standardized tests.
“I see Regents exams as a way of holding students accountable to state standards,” said Brian Doelger, superintendent of the Shelter Island school system. “If there is an alternative pathway, how is that assessed, is it aligned with state standards and who chooses it?”
Dozens of school districts across Long Island recorded passage rates of 90% or better during the latest administration of state Regents exams in algebra and English, a Newsday analysis found.
On both of those heavily used tests, districts in Nassau and Suffolk counties ranked among the highest performing in the state, according to Newsday's review of data from the state Department of Education. In algebra, for example, 36 local systems were among the top 100 statewide.
High achievers in algebra included the Garden City and North Shore districts, where 100% of students who were tested scored “proficient” or better. Other districts with high numbers were Cold Spring Harbor, Massapequa and Syosset, each 98% proficient; Sayville, at 94%; and Commack, at 93%.
A “proficient” rating means students have met the state's minimum requirement in math for earning a high school diploma.
Many students scored high enough to attain academic “distinction” — the highest category of achievement recognized by the state. Seventeen of the 32 districts statewide where at least half of students scored with distinction were located on the Island.
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Results on English exams revealed a similar pattern. Of the 100 districts statewide with the largest numbers of student “proficiency” ratings, 34 were in Nassau or Suffolk counties.
“Long Island performs very well academically when compared to the rest of the state, and that's due to the high quality of education that is delivered systematically across the region,” said Bob Vecchio, executive director of the Nassau-Suffolk School Boards Association.
Students in the Garden City district fared well overall in the algebra Regents. Credit: Anthony Florio
Vecchio acknowledged in a phone interview that some local districts continued to struggle, but added, “There are encouraging signs as we continue to emerge post-pandemic. Long Island continues to rebound.”
Newsday's review covered exam results for more than 250,000 students statewide in more than 640 districts. That included more than 41,000 students in 104 districts in Nassau and Suffolk.
Exams were administered in August 2022, January 2023 and last June. Results analyzed were in Algebra I and English Language Arts, two of the subjects most often tested.
Statewide, there are some signs of possible slippage in student achievement in recent years. In 2018-19, the year before the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, 71% of students statewide scored “proficient” in algebra, and 84% did so in English, according to the state Education Department's data website. In 2022-23, the corresponding numbers were 65% in algebra and 77% in English.
A scale score of 85 or higher is required to achieve “distinction,” while 65 is required to reach “proficient,” or what amounts to at least minimum passing level. According to the state, students in the lower part of the proficient range “meet the content area requirements for a Regents diploma but may need additional support to succeed at the next level of coursework.”
High-achieving districts typically set a goal for students to reach the “distinction” level, which is also commonly known as “mastery.”
“We believe our students can reach mastery level,” said Hank Grishman, superintendent of the 3,200-student Jericho system. “While we're very proud of the results, we're always looking for ways to make things better.”
For the 2022-23 school year, 84% of Jericho's students scored with distinction on the English exam, while 71% did so in algebra.
The state generally requires students to pass four or five Regents exams in the areas of English, math, science and history in order to earn high school diplomas. Exams typically are taken at some point during students' four years of high school, or in middle grades for those who are academically accelerated.
The Algebra I exam is often taken in ninth grade or earlier. English Language Arts is often taken in 11th grade, though some students take it in grades 10 or 12.
Over the past 20 years or so, many districts have shifted their emphasis from state exams, which are written at a college-prep level, to privately published tests set at a college level. The best known examples are Advanced Placement tests sponsored by the Manhattan-based College Board, and International Baccalaureate exams, provided by an organization of the same name headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
This year, Regents exams are back in the spotlight, however. The state's Board of Regents, which sets educational policy, is considering changes that would allow students more options in earning diplomas, either by passing Regents exams as they do now, or through other alternatives yet to be spelled out. The state's education commissioner, Betty A. Rosa, who formerly headed the Regents board, has announced more details will be provided in the fall.
The suggestion that an exam system used in New York's high schools since the 1870s might be downgraded in some fashion has touched off statewide debate. Major education organizations, including a statewide teachers union, have lined up on the side of change, while some other school leaders have voiced reservations over the potential shift.
Joanne Fennessy, president of the Association of Mathematics Supervisors of Long Island, hopes for a broader approach that would allow students to demonstrate their readiness to graduate.
Credit: Rick Kopstein
One regional authority who favors change is Joanne Fennessy, president of the Association of Mathematics Supervisors of Long Island. Fennessy said while she continues to see value in Regents exams, she hopes for a broader approach that would allow students to demonstrate their readiness to graduate through other routes as well. As an example, she cited the possibility of using portfolios of students' coursework in math to measure achievement.
“I hope the proposal before the Regents board will open broader pathways for students,” Fennessy said.
Skeptics, on the other hand, questioned whether student portfolios or other alternative means of assessment could serve as uniform statewide measures of achievement in the same way as standardized tests.
“I see Regents exams as a way of holding students accountable to state standards,” said Brian Doelger, superintendent of the Shelter Island school system. “If there is an alternative pathway, how is that assessed, is it aligned with state standards and who chooses it?”
John Hildebrand is Newsday's senior education writer and has covered school news and policy issues affecting Long Island for more than 40 years. Michael R. Ebert is an education researcher and has worked for Newsday in various capacities since 2003.
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