State tests results show some improvement

State test results released earlier this month showed a slight bump in scores for third- through eighth- grade students at several local schools even as many children sat out the exams.

The Spuyten Duyvil School (P.S. 24) had the best overall performance, with 56.2 percent of students passing the math test and 46.6 percent passing the English Language Arts (ELA) test. Last year, 54.6 percent of students passed math and 50.5 percent passed ELA.

Citywide, 35.2 percent of students passed the math test and 30.4 percent passed the ELA test. Perhaps partly due to their test results, P.S. 24 has seen a steady increase in enrollment over the past few years.

The Robert J. Christen School (P.S. 81), Ampark Neighborhood School, the Milton Fein School (P.S. 7) and the David A. Stein Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy (M.S./H.S. 144, RKA) round out the rest of the schools that achieved results higher than the citywide average. Most test scores at those school were up compared to last year, with the exception of P.S. 7, where there was a slight drop in both math and ELA.

No school received a Level 4 rating — or “advanced” — on the tests in any subject, in any grade. The average rating across District 10 was a Level 1.67 in math and Level 1.5 in ELA — somewhere between “well below” and “partially proficient.”

Officials use results of the tests, administered in the spring, in a variety of ways, from teacher evaluations to student achievement. The outcomes also shape instructional standards and educational programs. Further, the results play a role in where parents try to send their children.

“People want to get into [P.S.] 24 or 81 if they can,” said District 10 Community Education Council president Marvin Shelton of the two schools with relatively high scores. “It does impact where people are applying for kindergarten… Maybe their local school isn’t doing well, but a school in the next zone is doing better. They may not get in, but they still make the effort.”

“Most complaints I hear are around too much time on test prep,” Mr. Shelton said, adding that he has also heard parents voice concerns about the tests being too stressful.