Scarsdale Students Excel on State and College Exams

Despite objections to testing, Scarsdale students are doing well -- in fact very well -- according to Assistant Superintendent Lynne Shain, who reviewed student assessments and the results at a Board study session on Monday October 19, 2015. Scarsdale students scored among the highest in the state on reading and math tests given to third through eighth graders, outperforming the state average by almost 100%. The mean SAT scores of Scarsdale High School students exceeded those of neighboring districts such as Chappaqua, Bronxville and Edgemont, and 64% of Scarsdale students were accepted to the most selective colleges and universities. Commenting on student acceptances, Shain said, "We do not know of another comprehensive, non¬selective, public school district whose students achieve stronger results."

Shain provided a detailed presentation on the various types of assessments in Scarsdale and how each is used for different purposes. Also on hand for the presentation was Madhabi Chatterji, Ph.D., Professor of Measurement, Evaluation and Education, and Director, Assessment and Evaluation Research Initiative (AERI), from Teachers College, Columbia University.

The context for discussing assessments in Scarsdale, as in other high performing school districts, is influenced by the fact that virtually every graduate goes to college. The District's aim is to provide exceptional academic preparation for that step. Scarsdale believes it's important for its graduates to realize their potential in a full range of human endeavors, to become fulfilled, contributing human beings who learn throughout their lives. Fostering these skills and values is incorporated into many aspects of the curriculum and cannot be measured by many common forms of assessment. However, assessments are a part of the learning cycle and provide important information informing curriculum development and teaching.

Shain opened by providing a primer on assessments and important definitions for the audience. She described a variety of different assessment formats. For example, students are often assessed after instruction has ended with a unit test or a final exam. Sometimes an assessment is the learning activity, such as the fifth grade Capstone project. Also, assessments may be done for screening purposes to measure what the student already knows and does not know. Examples include the STAR Reading and Math Assessments used in Kindergarten through fifth grades to identify struggling learners.

In addition, teachers provide both formal and informal classroom assessments. Scarsdale teachers evaluate student progress by providing an array of qualitative and quantitative feedback. Informal assessments occur on a daily basis as teachers observe student responses, note classroom contributions and interactions, and identify gaps in knowledge. Formal assessments include teacher designed quizzes, exams, papers, math problems, science labs, and art or performance pieces.

Scarsdale also administers standardized tests both as required by New York State mandate (third-eighth grade English Language Arts and math exams, NYS Regents exams) and tests students choose to take for college admission such as SAT and ACT exams.

Collectively, these various types of assessments should lead to measureable results and there are several ways that the district looks at its outcomes.

One important measure is how Scarsdale students fair in the college admissions process. College acceptance results have always been excellent and have grown even stronger over the last few years as shown in the chart at right:

Scarsdale's college entrance exam scores also show very strong results against comparable school districts in the region. Mean SAT Results from 2014-2015 are shown below.



Other standardized tests, such as ACT and AP exams, show similar impressive results. Much more detail on the results from these types of standardized tests can be found in the appendix of Shain's presentation (available on the district website).

Scarsdale also seeks qualitative results by surveying its graduates. An alumni survey conducted in 2012 with the classes of 2007 and 2010 indicates that graduates are overwhelmingly positive about the quality of the academic preparation they received in Scarsdale. Graduates provided positive feedback about their readiness in non-academic areas as well. The vast majority of respondents felt that they were able to pursue their passions in extracurricular activities and that high school participation in such activities helped their development in the areas of time management, perseverance, resilience, and work ethic. Shain hopes to conduct another survey in the near future possibly by working with the Scarsdale Alumni Association.

Another measure of results is Scarsdale's performance on New York State standardized tests administered in third-eighth grades. Scarsdale's results were among the highest in the State and in the same range as those of comparable districts.

There is a dip in results in 2013 when the common core assessments were introduced. Chatterji explained that this dip is very "normal and predictable" and it normally takes a few years for scores to rise after a new curriculum/test is introduced. Further, Scarsdale's 2013 test results were consistent with results in other similar districts and throughout the state.

More details on ELA and math test results can be found in the report appendix including data comparing the five elementary schools (no significant difference), data covering more years and different ways of viewing it for comparison purposes.

Shain offered some concluding thoughts on student assessment. First, the most important student performance information is not in the results of any test, but gathered by teachers, every day, in the classroom. She also stressed that a district cannot achieve strong graduate outcomes, as Scarsdale has done, without a strong K-12 system. Every grade contributes to the success of the system as a whole. Equally important, the District believes that to succeed after graduation, students should possess certain skills and abilities not measured by standardized tests such as initiative, perseverance, resourcefulness, inventiveness, and an ability to work with others. To achieve these goals, what ultimately matters are the "deep, rich learning experiences that are the hallmark of a Scarsdale education".

The study session can be viewed in its entirety on the Board of Education Video on demand site and the presentation can be accessed on the Scarsdale schools website.

In other news from the Board of Education:

High School Tour:

There will be a tour of the high school on Monday October 26 from 7:15 – 8:15 to tour the future sites of the new fitness center and new design lab. The tour will be led by Principal Ken Bonamo, Athletic Director Ray Pappalardi and teachers Lisa Yokana and Maggie Favaretti. The tour will begin in the Brewster Road lobby near the auditorium and the community is invited to join the tour.

Busing:

In the public comments section of the meeting, Quaker Ridge residents Marin Zemachson and Melissa Goldberg Mantzouris asked the board to amend their bus eligibility policy to offer busing to all Scarsdale children. They said that children are now required to cross busy streets without a crossing guard and that car congestion poses safety risks and difficulty for buses. There is no late bus service for children who take buses to and from school, and some parents are paying up to $1,200 per child for private transportation. They compared Scarsdale's busing policy to neighboring districts and said that others offered busing to children who live much closer to the school.

Open Meetings:

Bob Harrison was concerned about the district's meeting policy. He said that he was not aware where the 6 pm meetings were being held, and that there was no time for public comments at the Board's morning meetings. He said that it was "shameful" that the board does not hand out paper agendas at the meetings and added that it was very difficult to print out the board agenda that is available online. He also asked the Board to disclose the topics of the emails they receive from the public each week.

Greenacres Feasability Committee:

Greenacres resident Pau Hong was appointed to serve on the committee that will meet on 10/27, 11/5, 11/17 and 12/9. These meetings are not open to the public.

Architects' Fees:

In preparation for a bond referendum scheduled for May, 2017, the Board approved $10,500 for a district-wide field master plan proposal. Assistant Superintendent Mattey said that the fields have been neglected over the years. The study will be done to prioritize what needs to be done and get cost estimates for improvements to each field. Architects KG&D will work with a field consultant on the study.

The board approved $64,500 in fees for the architects to work with the district and the building level committees on pre-referendum planning.

Gift for the Scarsdale Middle School Library:

The Board accepted a gift of $11,600 from the SMS PTA to be used to purchase flexible furniture and a laminating machine.

PT Council Letter:

PT Council President Karen Ceske read the following letter at the meeting.

Governor Andrew Cuomo has designated October 26-30, 2015 as School Board Recognition Week in the State of New York. His proclamation states: "The men and women serving as members of school boards are dedicated to children, learning, and community and devote many hours of service to elementary and secondary public education as they continually strive for improvement, excellence, and progress in education.

In honor of School Board Recognition week, The PT Council would like to acknowledge the members of Scarsdale's Board of Education: President Lee Maude, Vice-President Bill Natbony, Pam Fuehrer, Chris Morin, Art Rublin, Suzanne Seiden, and Scott Silberfein. These seven volunteers give generously of their time and work tirelessly on behalf of our students, parents, teachers, administrators and community. The challenges and tasks before them are often great, yet consistently met with professionalism, thoughtfulness and transparency. We commend this year's board members for their responsiveness and commitment to balancing our district's educational, professional and facilities needs with fiscal responsibility. Their service is greatly appreciated.

We thank the members of our Board of Education for all that they do to help make our schools and community strong.