Seventh- and eighth-graders in the Sewanhaka Central High School District are opting out of standardized tests and moving toward taking the Regents exams, state results show.
Kathleen Sottile, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, presented the district’s seventh- and eighth-grade English language arts and mathematics standardized testing results, which were embargoed until recently, at the Board of Education’s meeting Tuesday night.
The results show that students in the district continue to score higher than the state average. They are not only taking the Algebra I Regents exam more but passing. Ninety-nine percent of eighth-grade students passed the exam.
The district is hoping to see more students take the Algebra I and other Regents exams before entering high school, Sottile said.
Forty-eight percent of 1,307 eighth-grade students opted out of the ELA exam in the district, Sottile said. As few as 35 percent of students participated in the eighth-grade math exam, a number that has continued to shrink over the past few years, Sottile said.
Superintendent Ralph Ferrie dedicated his report to athletic teams and individual students in the district who had successful seasons or will be recognized in the near future.
The Elmont Memorial High School girls volleyball team won its conference, A3, and advanced to the playoffs for the first time in 17 years. The H. Frank Carey varsity football advanced to the Nassau County championship game, but came up short against later Long Island champion Garden City. Both the girls and boys cross country teams for New Hyde Park Memorial High School qualified for the Nassau County championships.
As part of the board’s agenda for the evening, of which all items passed unanimously, five purchases were made for all five schools in the district.
Three room dividers and two sofas totaling $3,118 were approved for the pupil personnel office at H. Frank Carey High School from the district’s general fund.
Districtwide, two 80-inch television monitors were approved for purchase to replace broken monitors from the general fund for $6,216, three pizza warmer display cases were approved at a cost of $3,787 from the lunch fund and the rights to Giuseppi Verdi’s opera “Aida” were purchased for Elmont Memorial’s spring 2019 performance for $20,523 from the student activities fund. The $20,523 also covers orchestration, lighting, sound and props for the performance.
The board’s next regularly scheduled meeting will be held Tuesday, Dec. 18.
