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REPORT TO THE BLACK, PUERTO RICAN AND HISPANIC LEGISLATIVE
CAUCUS
MARCH 2004
| FINDING #7 |
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| A four-year analysis of average state test
scores at the 4th and 8th grade show that while
suburban majority African-American/Latino districts still lag behind
other suburban districts, these districts have made the largest gains.
The pattern among city districts is more mixed. Little progress is
event in the 8th grade. |
4th Grade English Language Arts and Math
Among suburban districts, test outcomes tend to follow
demographic profiles of students. The districts serving the highest proportion
of children eligible for free and reduced lunch have the highest proportion
of children testing at Level 1, which is below proficiency, and the lowest
proportion of children testing at Levels 3 and 4, which represent grade
and above-grade competency on these Regent-mandated standardized tests.
As the charts and tables below show, however, both types of African American/Latino
districts made the greatest gains in raising test outcomes, either by
reducing the numbers of students testing at Level 1 or increasing those
testing at Levels 3 and 4.
SUBURBAN SCHOOL DISTRICTS 4 ELA
|
|
|
|
1999
|
2002
|
Change
|
|
% L1
|
AA/L high needs
|
14%
|
7%
|
-7%
|
|
% L1
|
AA/L modest income
|
9%
|
4%
|
-5%
|
|
% L1
|
W modest income
|
3%
|
2%
|
-1%
|
|
% L1
|
W middle income
|
1%
|
1%
|
0%
|
|
% L1
|
W high income
|
2%
|
1%
|
-1%
|
|
% Ls 3+4
|
AA/L high needs
|
32%
|
59%
|
27%
|
|
% Ls 3+4
|
AA/L modest income
|
47%
|
69%
|
22%
|
|
% Ls 3+4
|
W modest income
|
63%
|
78%
|
15%
|
|
% Ls 3+4
|
W middle income
|
72%
|
86%
|
14%
|
|
% Ls 3+4
|
W high income
|
76%
|
89%
|
13%
|
SUBURBAN SCHOOL DISTRICTS 4 Math
|
|
|
|
1999
|
2002
|
Change
|
|
% L1
|
AA/L high needs
|
12%
|
6%
|
-6%
|
|
% L1
|
AA/L modest income
|
8%
|
2%
|
-6%
|
|
% L1
|
W modest income
|
2%
|
2%
|
0%
|
|
% L1
|
W middle income
|
1%
|
1%
|
0%
|
|
% L1
|
W high income
|
1%
|
1%
|
0%
|
|
% Ls 3+4
|
AA/L high needs
|
55%
|
72%
|
17%
|
|
% Ls 3+4
|
AA/L modest income
|
65%
|
79%
|
14%
|
|
% Ls 3+4
|
W modest income
|
84%
|
84%
|
0%
|
|
% Ls 3+4
|
W middle income
|
90%
|
90%
|
0%
|
|
% Ls 3+4
|
W high income
|
89%
|
93%
|
4%
|
On the English Language Arts test, three of the city school
districts, Yonkers, Rochester, and New York City, made significant gains
in the proportion of students testing at Levels 3 and 4, as well as gains
in reducing the numbers of students testing at Level 1. The gains on
the Math test were more modest for these three cities. Buffalo and Syracuse
did not make similar progress, and, surprisingly, for these two cities
test achievement fell on the Math test over the four-year period.
THE LARGE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICTS Grade
4 ELA
|
|
|
|
1999
|
2002
|
Change
|
|
% L1
|
Syracuse
|
19
|
20
|
1
|
|
% L1
|
Yonkers
|
17
|
10
|
-7
|
|
% L1
|
Rochester
|
19
|
11
|
-8
|
|
% L1
|
Buffalo
|
18
|
19
|
1
|
|
% L1
|
New York City
|
21
|
15
|
-6
|
|
% Ls 3+4
|
Syracuse
|
31
|
36
|
5
|
|
% Ls 3+4
|
Yonkers
|
34
|
60
|
26
|
|
% Ls 3+4
|
Rochester
|
24
|
46
|
22
|
|
% Ls 3+4
|
Buffalo
|
29
|
34
|
5
|
|
% Ls 3+4
|
New York City
|
34
|
47
|
13
|
THE LARGE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICTS Grade 4 Math
|
|
|
|
1999
|
2002
|
Change
|
|
% L1
|
Syracuse
|
18
|
17
|
-1
|
|
% L1
|
Yonkers
|
14
|
10
|
-4
|
|
% L1
|
Rochester
|
19
|
13
|
-6
|
|
% L1
|
Buffalo
|
13
|
14
|
1
|
|
% L1
|
New York City
|
19
|
13
|
-6
|
|
% Ls 3+4
|
Syracuse
|
49
|
45
|
-4
|
|
% Ls 3+4
|
Yonkers
|
55
|
59
|
4
|
|
% Ls 3+4
|
Rochester
|
40
|
45
|
5
|
|
% Ls 3+4
|
Buffalo
|
54
|
45
|
-9
|
|
% Ls 3+4
|
New York City
|
50
|
52
|
2
|
8th Grade English Language Arts and Math
Among suburban districts, the gap between test outcomes
of African-American/Latino majority districts and white majority districts
remain large, even though they have narrowed. After four years, a higher
proportion of students in the high-needs group of districts test at Level
1 in both Math and English Language Arts than at Levels 3 and 4. Modest-income
AA/L districts have pulled ahead, both in the reduction of students testing
at Level 1 and an increase in those testing at Levels 3 and 4.
|
SUBURBAN SCHOOL DISTRICTS 8
ELA
|
|
|
|
1999
|
2002
|
Change
|
|
% L1
|
AA/L high needs
|
20%
|
16%
|
-4%
|
|
% L1
|
AA/L modest income
|
9%
|
7%
|
-2%
|
|
% L1
|
W modest income
|
4%
|
2%
|
-2%
|
|
% L1
|
W middle income
|
2%
|
1%
|
-1%
|
|
% L1
|
W high income
|
2%
|
1%
|
-1%
|
|
% Ls 3+4
|
AA/L high needs
|
24%
|
30%
|
-6%
|
|
% Ls 3+4
|
AA/L modest income
|
34%
|
38%
|
4%
|
|
% Ls 3+4
|
W modest income
|
60%
|
60%
|
0%
|
|
% Ls 3+4
|
W middle income
|
70%
|
69%
|
-1%
|
|
% Ls 3+4
|
W high income
|
76%
|
74%
|
-2%
|
|
SUBURBAN SCHOOL DISTRICTS 8
Math
|
|
|
|
1999
|
2002
|
Change
|
|
% L1
|
AA/L high needs
|
60%
|
31%
|
-29%
|
|
% L1
|
AA/L modest income
|
34%
|
21%
|
-13%
|
|
% L1
|
W modest income
|
15%
|
6%
|
-9%
|
|
% L1
|
W middle income
|
9%
|
3%
|
-6%
|
|
% L1
|
W high income
|
7%
|
3%
|
-4%
|
|
% Ls 3+4
|
AA/L high needs
|
12%
|
40%
|
28%
|
|
% Ls 3+4
|
AA/L modest income
|
24%
|
42%
|
18%
|
|
% Ls 3+4
|
W modest income
|
50%
|
66%
|
16%
|
|
% Ls 3+4
|
W middle income
|
64%
|
78%
|
14%
|
|
% Ls 3+4
|
W high income
|
68%
|
82%
|
14%
|
On the English Language Arts test, almost all the cities
were able to reduce the proportion of their students testing at Level
1 (except Buffalo), but all of them also experienced a drop in the proportion
of students testing at grade level or above during this four-year period.
On the Math test, significantly fewer students in Yonkers and New York
tested at the lowest level, but more modest gains were made on the numbers
of students testing at grade level. On both types of tests, New York
City had the highest proportion of students testing at grade level, 30%,
but this is a far smaller proportion than most of the suburban districts.
|
THE LARGE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICTS Grade 8 ELA
|
|
|
|
1999
|
2002
|
Change
|
|
% L1
|
Syracuse
|
16
|
17
|
1
|
|
% L1
|
Yonkers
|
20
|
17
|
-3
|
|
% L1
|
Rochester
|
17
|
13
|
-4
|
|
% L1
|
Buffalo
|
11
|
16
|
5
|
|
% L1
|
New York City
|
17
|
13
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