ALBANY - The State Education Department today released the results of the April 2012 grades 3-8 math and English Language Arts (ELA) assessments. The average scale scores on this year’s exams in both ELA and math are slightly higher than last year in most grades, and there is a small increase in the percentage of grades 3-8 students across the State who met or exceeded the proficiency standard on both exams.

"There is some positive momentum in these numbers," said Board of Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch. "But too many of our students, especially students of color, English Language Learners and special education students, are currently not on a course for college and career readiness. That’s why we are continuing to press forward with critical reforms to ensure all of our kids are ready for college and careers. In the fall we will begin to phase in a new, more challenging, content rich curriculum and continue to press for the implementation of a rigorous teacher evaluation system in every district across the state."

"We’re building a ladder, grade by grade, to college and career readiness," Commissioner John King, Jr. said. "These results are a small, positive sign of growth, but not enough of our students are climbing as steadily as they should be. Next school year, we start to implement reforms to make that ladder strong enough to support all our students as they climb toward college and career readiness."

Summary of statewide 3-8 exam results: Positive momentum, but gaps in achievement persist:  

• 55.1% of grade 3-8 students across the State met or exceeded the ELA proficiency standard (an increase from 52.8% last year); 64.8% met or exceeded the standard in math (up from 63.3% last year).

• 37.2% of African-American students in grades 3-8 met or exceeded the ELA proficiency standard (compared with 55.1% for all students and 66.4% for white students); 46.1% met or exceeded the standard in math (compared with 64.8% for all students and 74% for white students).

• 40% of Hispanic students in grades 3-8 met or exceeded the ELA proficiency standard (compared with 55.1% for all students and 66.4% for white students); 53.1% met or exceeded the standard in math (compared with 64.8% for all students and 74% for white students).

• 11.7% of English Language Learners (ELLs) in grades 3-8 met or exceeded the ELA proficiency standard (down from 12.6% last year); 34.4% of ELLs met or exceeded the standard in math (up from 32.3% last year).

• 15.5% of Students with Disabilities (SWDs) met or exceeded the ELA proficiency standard (up from 14.5% last year) across grades 3-8; 28.5% of SWDs met or exceeded the standard in math (up from 26.9% last year).

Big 5 students trail the rest of the state, but progress seen in Yonkers, NYC, and Syracuse:

• In Buffalo, 27.9% of students met or exceeded the ELA proficiency standard (up from 26.9% last year); 29.9% met or exceeded the math standard (down from 31% last year).

• In Yonkers, 40.7% of students met or exceeded the ELA standard (up from 37.8% last year); 46.8% met or exceeded the math standard (up from 40.4% last year).

• In New York City, 46.9% of students met or exceeded the ELA proficiency standard (up from 43.9% last year); 60% met or exceeded the math standard (up from 57.3% last year).

• In Rochester, 20.7% of students met or exceeded the ELA proficiency standard (down from 24.4% last year); 27.3% met or exceeded the math standard (down from 29.4% last year).

• In Syracuse, 24.2% of students met or exceeded the ELA proficiency standard (up from 22.5% last year); 26.9% met or exceeded the math standard (up from 25.3% last year).

A summary of the test results, as well as individual school and district results, are available at www.p12.nysed.gov/irs/ela-math/.