FULTON – The Fulton City School District Board of Education met last night, Tuesday, October 25, and discussed state assessments for grades 3 through 8 for ELA, math, and science.
During the superintendent’s report, Deputy Superintendent Geri Geitner, along with principals and department directors, presented an analysis of the New York State testing results for grades 3 through 8 at FCSD during the 2021-2022 school year.
“Nationally and in New York state, reading results have declined since pre-pandemic time and math results have declined significantly,” Geitner said. “Our rates are below the state rates. We also are encouraged though because we are hearing from the state that the assessments are important and they give some valuable information.”
She said there are proposals to change the state’s accountability plan, which is not working as it was intended.
Geitner led the board through a snapshot of the current fourth grade students. Those students were in first grade when COVID-19 first hit in March 2020 and they were learning remotely for the last three months of the school year.
During the fall of 2019, 50% of students in that cohort were at or above grade level. In second grade, those students learned remotely, and 47% of students were at or above grade level during Fall 2020.
Going back to in-person instruction for their third grade year in Fall 2021, about 50% were at or above grade level. In the following spring when they took their state assessments, 19% scored in the proficient range for ELA. Now in fourth grade, 49% of those students are at or above grade level.
She then went over a similar snapshot for the district’s current seventh grade students, who were in fourth grade at the beginning of the pandemic.
The results for 2022 grades 3-8 ELA, math, and science assessments by grade were also reviewed.
Grades 3-8 proficiency comparison for FCSD, Oswego County, and the CNY region (Proficiency means a student scored either a 3 or a 4 out of four levels):
- ELA
- FCSD – 31% (1,308 students)
- Oswego County – 32% (7,133 students)
- CNY – 42% (39,584 students)
- Math
- FCSD – 21% (1,274 students)
- Oswego County – 28% (6,839 students)
- CNY – 38% (37,737 students)
Grade 4 and Grade 8 science proficiency comparison for FCSD, Oswego County, and the CNY region (only grades 4 and 8 take this assessment):
-
- FCSD – 63% (366 students)
- Oswego County – 68% (2,066 students)
- CNY – 73% (11,053 students)
What this data shows is that a lower number of Fulton students tested as proficient in ELA, math, and science than other Oswego County schools and other CNY schools.
The presenters and board members discussed the policy to get students more help through intervention, such as seeking help from the district’s instructional coaches.
“Whether we’re putting interventions in place or not, I feel that we’re pushing kids through that aren’t necessarily ready to be put through to the next level and they’re falling further behind, and that’s why some of our percentages are still low because the kids aren’t truly getting the help that they need,” said board member Jessica Pappalardo.
Board President Robbin Griffin said another factor to the low test scores could be the students’ attitudes going into the test, saying a student had told her they and their classmates do not take the assessments seriously and do not try their best at them. She said that student was surprised to find out the assessments played a factor into their classes for the next year.
Board member Jennifer Mainville said another factor is the lack of time and support for teachers, and Board Vice President Brenda Abelgore said that testing is also a just snapshot of a student’s day, whether they are having a good or a bad day.
“We have a lot of supports in the right places, we just need to continue to stay the course and we need to continue to make the adjustments necessary, and most importantly, we need to put it out there so people understand what we’re doing and how it’s working at all different levels,” Superintendent Brian Pulvino said.
The full discussion and the remaining meeting can be viewed here.
The agenda can be viewed here. Also during the agenda, the board approved to implement a girls wrestling team, as it was proposed at the last meeting on October 11.
The next scheduled BOE meeting will be held Tuesday, November 8 at 6:30 p.m. in the library at G.Ray Bodley High School, 6 William Gillard Drive. Meetings are also live streamed on the Fulton Communications channel on YouTube.
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