Area fourth-graders top state averages on ESPA tests

District report cards for Millstone, Plumsted and Roosevelt released.

By: Scott Morgan
   Each year, the Department of Education administers tests in language arts, mathematics and science, known as the ESPA tests, to fourth-grade students across the state. Scores from each district are compared to that district’s scores from the previous year and to state averages.
   Following is a summary of the 2002 Elementary Schools Proficiency Assessment test results for the Millstone, Plumsted and Roosevelt school districts:
Millstone

General education students
   
Elementary school general education students, on average, finished far ahead of state averages in the ESPA, but schoolwide averages last year were about the same as the year before.
   Of the 171 students tested in language proficiency, 17.5 percent scored advanced proficient, compared to the state average of 7.1 percent. This is up from the 2001 district average of 15.7 percent with 172 students tested.
   In Millstone, 4.1 percent scored only partially proficient, beating the state average of 13.7 percent. This, though, is an increase from 3.5 percent, which district students scored in 2001.
   Standard "proficient" scores for district students were slightly lower than the state average: 78.4 percent of Millstone Elementary School students scored proficient, while 79.2 from the rest of the state did the same. In 2001, 80.8 percent of district students scored proficient in language arts. All 2001 totals were better than state averages.
   In mathematics, district fourth-graders improved on their 2001 scores in advanced and partial proficiency, while dropping just a little in straight proficiency. All math totals, however, were significantly better than statewide averages.
   Of the 172 district students tested in mathematics, 43.6 percent scored advanced proficient, compared to the state average of 30.8 percent. This improved on 2001 totals, when 35.7 percent of students scored advanced proficient. Also, 46.5 percent scored proficient, compared to the state’s 43.4 percent and the district’s 2001 average of 52 percent, while 9.9 percent of district students score partial proficiency, beating their own 2001 average of 12.3 percent, and significantly beating the state average of 25.8 percent.
   Science aptitude tests were not administered last year.
Special education students
   
The district’s special education students, on average, improved on 2001 averages and beat, by far, the state averages in language arts and mathematics.
   Of the 27 special education students tested, 3.7 percent scored advanced proficient in language arts last year. This is a slight drop from 2001 totals, which recorded 5.6 percent achieving advanced proficiency, but betters the state average of 0.8 percent.
   Proficient scores also dropped compared to the 2001 totals. In 2002, 66.7 percent scored proficient, compared to 72.2 percent from 2001. But again, this betters the state average of 41.8 percent of special education students who scored proficient in language arts.
   The figures in partial proficiency also were slightly worse for 2002. Whereas in 2001, 22.2 percent of district special education students scored partial proficiency, in 2002, the average rose to 29.6 percent. This, however, compares to 57.4 percent of state special education students who score partial proficient.
   Advanced mathematics proficiency in the district leapt from a flat zero in 2001 to 11.1 percent in 2002, bettering the state average of 9.6 percent. Proficient scores dropped very slightly from their 2001 average of 52.6 percent to 2002’s 51.9 percent, in district. State proficient averages registered 30.7 percent.
   Students scoring partially proficient improved on the district’s 2001 numbers. In 2001, 47.4 percent of students scored partial proficiency; in 2002, 37 percent scored the same. Around the state, 59.6 percent of special education students scored partially proficient in mathematics.
   The district tested 19 students in 2001. The science aptitude tests were not administered last year.
Overall
   
Overall, district fourth-graders surpassed their statewide counterparts in every area. In language arts, 15.7 percent of Millstone students scored advanced proficient, compared to 6 percent from around the state. Another 76.8 percent of township students scored proficient, compared to 73.1 percent of state students; 7.6 percent scored partially proficient, compared to 20.9 percent of state students.
   In mathematics, 39.2 percent of township students scored advanced proficient, compared to 27.2 percent of state students; 47.2 percent scored proficient, compared to 41.3 percent of state students; and 13.6 percent scored partially proficient, compared to 31.5 percent of state students.
   The districts 2001 overall scores were not registered.
Plumsted

General education students
   
District fourth-graders, on average, scored higher on their 2002 ESPA tests than other students statewide but unevenly when compared to the 2001 district results.
   In all, 107 students were tested in language arts and mathematics (science aptitude was not tested in 2002). Of those, 15 percent of students scored advanced proficiency in language while 39.3 percent scored advanced proficient in math. Both totals better 2001 district scores of 14.2 percent and 18.1 percent, respectively, and also bettered state averages of 71 percent and 30.8 percent, respectively.
   District students also bettered their state counterparts in partial proficiency scores. Statewide, students averaged 13.7 percent partial proficiency in language and 25.8 percent in math. District language scores showed 10.3 percent partial proficiency in language and 16.8 percent in math. While the district scores are better than state averages, and while the 2002 score improves greatly on the 2001 score of 24.8 percent partial proficiency in math, the 2002 language score is a drop from 2001. In 2001, only 4.7 percent of students registered as partially proficient in language.
Special education students
   
Special education scores largely declined from 2001 scores within the district and fell shy of state averages in most categories.
   In 2001, half the district’s special education students scored proficient or partially proficient in language arts and none achieved advanced proficiency. In 2001, while still none achieved advanced proficiency, the number of students registering proficiency dropped to 31.8 percent, while the percentage of those registering partial proficiency rose to 68.2. Statewide, 0.8 percent of special education students taking the ESPA scored advanced proficiency in language, while 41.8 achieved proficiency and 57.4 percent scored partial proficiency.
   In math, the 2002 percentage of students achieving advanced proficiency dropped from 10 to 4.5, compared to 2001 totals. However, special education students showed some improvement by scoring higher in proficiency (50 percent in 2002, compared to 40 percent in 2001) and partial proficiency (45.5 percent, compared to 50 percent).
   Compared to state students, Plumsted special education students fell slightly short of the average 9.6 percent advanced proficiency in math, but did better in straight proficiency ratings (50 percent in the district, 30.7 statewide) and partial proficiency, which registered at 59.6 percent, statewide.
Overall
   
General averages of Plumsted fourth-graders largely surpassed state averages. In the district, 12.4 percent of students overall scored advanced proficiency in language, compared to 6 percent throughout the state. The district’s average of partially proficient students (20.2) also slightly bettered the state average of 20.9, though district totals fell short of state averages in proficiency — 67.4 percent in-district, compared to 73.1 percent statewide.
   District math scores, however, uniformly bested state figures. The district recorded 33.3 percent of its students as advanced proficient, compared to 27.2 from the state. Also, 45 percent of district students scored proficient, compared to 41.3 percent of state students, while 21.7 percent of district fourth graders scored partial proficiency, compared to 31.5 percent of state students.
Roosevelt
   Fourth-grade students at Roosevelt Elementary measured up well against state averages on the 2002 ESPA and showed a major improvement over the district’s own 2001 mathematics scores, according to information released by the state Department of Education.
   Compared to state students, borough students generally scored better on the ESPA.
   In language arts, while no students scored advanced proficiency, 91.7 percent scored as proficient. These figures compare to state averages of 7.1 percent scoring advanced proficiency and 79.2 percent scoring proficiency. Borough students also scored better than state students in the partially proficient category, with 8.3 percent of Roosevelt students registering as partially proficient. This compares to the state average of 13.7 percent.
   Compared to the borough’s own 2001 scores, the numbers were roughly the same. In 2001, no students achieved advanced proficiency in language arts, while 90.0 percent achieved proficiency and 9.1 percent achieved partial proficiency.
   The school’s math scores were a marked improvement over the 2001 results. In 2001, no students achieved advanced proficiency in mathematics, 72.7 percent achieved proficiency and 27.3 percent registered partial proficiency. In 2002, six of 12 students achieved advanced proficiency and the other six achieved proficiency.
   The 2002 scores are uniformly better that the state averages of 30.8 percent advanced proficiency, 43.4 percent proficiency and 25.8 percent partial proficiency.
   Superintendent Dale Weinbach said that although the students’ math scores were very good, it would be unfair to compare the school’s results with those of larger schools. In 2002, Roosevelt Elementary School tested 12 students in both language arts and math, significantly less than other districts such as Plumsted, which tested 107 students in the 2002 ESPA, or Millstone, which tested 171 students in language arts and 172 in mathematics..
   Roosevelt tested 11 students in 2001. Dr. Weinbach credits the rise in math scores to directly using the 2001 tests as a diagnostic tool.
   "More than anyone … with a small class size, we can really zero in on (the best way to use the tests)," Dr. Weinbach said.
   Roosevelt Elementary School students were not tested for science aptitude.