By Kelsey Durham
New York City school students posted some of the most significant improvements in the most recent round of Common Core state testing scores, the state Education Department reported last week.
The agency released 2013-14 exam results in mathematics and English-Language Arts for students in Grades 3 through 8, showing that more city public school students scored at proficiency levels this year compared to last.
The results showed a 4 percent increase in the number of students whose math scores reached Level 3 or 4, which are considered proficiency levels, from 30.1 percent in 2013 to 34.5 percent this year. ELA scores citywide also improved slightly, with 29.4 percent of students scoring at Level 3 or higher this year compared to 27.4 percent in 2013.
Among the seven geographic education districts in Queens, District 26 in the northeastern part of the borough posted the highest scores. Some 31percent of students in Grades 3 through 8 scored Level 3 on math, while 39 percent scored Level 4, the highest grade possible. District 26 covers Bayside, Douglaston, Whitestone, Glen Oaks and parts of Auburndale and Fresh Meadows.
In ELA, 36 percent of students in District 26 scored at Level 3 proficiency while 21 percent scored Level 4.
District 25 — made up of schools in Flushing, Whitestone, Beechhurst and College Point — came in a close second with 29.17 percent of students scoring Level 3 on math exams and 27 percent scoring Level 4. ELA results showed that 28.17 percent of students in District 25 scored Level 3 and 14.17 percent scored Level 4.
District 29, which represents schools in Queens Village, Laurelton and Springfield Gardens, scored the lowest on both exams, with just more than 12 percent reaching proficiency levels in math and 3.89 percent scoring proficient in ELA. Slightly more than 17.1 percent scored Level 3 on math, and only 8 percent reached Level 4, while ELA scores showed that 18.17 percent of District 29 students scored Level 3 and just 5.17 percent scored Level 4.
Schools in the Glendale, Maspeth and Ridgewood areas, represented by District 24, had 19.7 percent of students score Level 3 or 4 in math, while 15.15 percent scored proficient in ELA.
Students in District 27, — covering South Ozone Park, Ridgewood, Elmhurst, Corona, the Rockaways and Howard Beach — posted scores showing 28.33 percent reached Level 3 proficiency in math and 11.83 percent scored at Level 4. About 20 percent of District 27 students received Level 3 scores in ELA and 7.67 percent scored at Level 4.
The center part of the borough, where District 28 is made up of schools in Jamaica, Forest Hills and Rego Park, had 20.83 percent of students score at Level 3 proficiency in math and 18 percent scored Level 4. In the same district, 22.5 percent of students scored Level 3 in ELA and 10.33 percent received Level 4 scores.
In western Queens in District 30, 24 percent of students tested at Level 3 proficiency in math and 16 percent tested at Level 4. Slightly more than 22 percent of students tested at Level 3 in ELA and 9.8 percent scored Level 4. District 30 covers schools in Long Island City, Jackson Heights and Astoria.
Reach reporter Kelsey Durham at 718-260-4573 or by e-mail at kdurham@cnglocal.com.
