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Math Scores Increase, ELA Drops For Local Schools

Chautauqua County public schools increased in math proficiency in grades 3-8, but decreased in English Language Arts.

New York state public schools, in total, saw an increase in 3-8 ELA and Math assessments in the 2018-19 school year.

Scores for all schools in the state were released publicly Thursday, while individual school districts were provided with their scores earlier in the week.

In Chautauqua County, students saw a decline in proficiency scores from 2018 to 2019 in ELA and math state assessments. The county decreased from 38% in 2018 to 36% in 2019. In math, the county overall increased from 38% in 2018 to 39% in 2019.

In Cattaraugus County, students proficiency rating remained the same in ELA at 41% and in math students increased in proficiency to 49% in 2019.

Overall, the state saw a 0.2% increase in proficiency for combined ELA scores with 987,398 test takers with 45.4% in 2019 compared to 45.2% in 2018. In math, the state saw a 2.2% increase in proficiency with 46.7% in 2019 and 44.5% in 2018.

Proficient test takers are students who score in the three and four criteria range of assessments.

Board of Regents Commissioner MaryEllen Elia held a conference call with the media to discuss the results, the impact of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) standards, issues with computer based testing and the future of ELA and Math assessments going forward.

In the Jamestown, students were 29% proficient — remaining the same for ELA from 2018 to 2019. In math, the school district increased in proficiency to 26% in 2019, up from 24% in 2018.

Dr. Bret Apthorpe, Jamestown Public Schools superintendent, shared his excitement over results from individual schools in the district.

“I am very proud of all the hard work that our teachers, principals and students did to show such significant progress,” Apthorpe said. “The collaborative efforts of our teachers to focus on individual student achievement has greatly benefited our district. As a district, we saw an overall improvement in math and a slight decline in ELA. However, several of our schools made incredible improvements in both ELA and math.”

In the Southwestern, students 46% proficient in ELA in 2019 compared to 50% in 2018. In math, the school district was 48% proficient in 2019, up from 47% in 2018.

In the Falconer, students were 32% proficient in ELA in 2019 compared to 38% in 2018. In math, the school district was 40% proficient in 2019, down from 42% in 2018.

Falconer superintendent Stephen Penhollow said the decrease could have been influenced by the school transitioning to computer based testing for state assessments last year. He described the ELA test scores as a “snap shot” of performances in the district. However, Penhollow was proud of the school district’s efforts and was optimistic about future performances.

“We will have our data teams break down that information, and we will have plans to focus in on those areas we need to improve on,” he said. “We have a dedicated group of teachers and our kids have worked very hard. I’m confident kids will do well as they have always done.”

Other ELA and math scores are as follows:

In Dunkirk, students were 24% proficient in ELA in 2019 compared to 27% in 2018. In math, the school district was 32% proficient in 2019, up from 28% in 2018.

In Bemus Point, students 51% proficient in ELA in 2019 compared to 62% in 2018. In math, the school district was 54% proficient in 2019, down from 60% in 2018.

In Brocton, students were 21% proficient in ELA in 2019 compared to 32% in 2018. In math, the school district was 26% proficient, down 42% in 2018.

In Cassadaga Valley, students were 41% proficient in ELA in 2019 compared to 39% in 2018. In math, the school district was 33% in 2019, down from 2018.

In Chautauqua Lake, students were 42% proficient in ELA in 2019 compared to 47% in 2018. In math, the school district was 53% proficient, up from 50% in 2018.

In Clymer, students were 51% proficient in ELA in 2019 compared to 43% in 2018. In math, the school district was 55% proficient in 2019, up from 49% in 2018.

In Forestville, students were 46% proficient in ELA in 2019 compared to 55% in 2018. In math, the school district was 50% proficient, up from 51% in 2018.

In Fredonia, students were 42% proficient in ELA in 2019 compared to 40% in 2018. In math, the school district was 50% proficient, up from 48% in 2018.

In Frewsburg, grades students were 39% proficient in ELA in 2019 compared to 45% in 2018. In math, the school district was 53% proficient, up from 52% in 2018.

In Panama, students were 55% proficient in ELA in 2019 compared to 59% in 2018. In math, the school district was 65% proficient, up from 63% in 2018.

In Pine Valley, students were 19% proficient in ELA in 2019 compared to 26% in 2018. In math, the school district was 21% proficient, down from 27% in 2018.

In Ripley, students were 45% proficient in ELA in 2019 compared to 46% in 2018. In math, the school district was 34% proficient, up from 43% in 2018.

In Sherman, students were 54% proficient in ELA in 2019, remaining the same from 2018. In math, the school district was 65% proficient, up from 64% in 2018.

In Silver Creek, students were 35% proficient in ELA in 2019 compared to 40% in 2018. In math, the school district was 37% proficient, up from 36% in 2018.

In Westfield, students were 44% proficient in ELA in 2019 compared to 47% in 2018. In math, the school district was 62% proficient, up from 56% in 2018.

In Randolph, students were 44% proficient in ELA in 2019, remaining the same from 2018. In math, the school district was 54% proficient, up from 56% in 2018.

In Salamanca, students were 31% proficient in ELA in 2019 compared to 27% in 2018. In math, the school district was 35% proficient, up from 32% in 2018.

A full breakdown of scores are available on the state Education Department’s website.

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