Mount Pleasant Schools Test Scores Released

THORNWOOD, N.Y. – The New York State Department of Education released the results of the English and math standardized test scores for grades three through eight on Tuesday. The Mount Pleasant Central School District saw improvements from last year at the elementary level and decreases at the middle school level.

In grades three through five, Mount Pleasant increased its percentage of students who placed at the proficiency standard level, or levels three and four, on each test with the exception of third-grade math.  Last year, 79 percent of third-graders in Mount Pleasant scored proficiently.  This year, that number dropped to 76 percent.  The biggest increase from last year’s numbers at the elementary level was in third-grade English where 83 percent of students scored proficiently, up from 74 percent last year. 

Out of the six tests at the middle school level, four of them saw a decrease this year in percentage of students who scored proficiently.  The biggest decrease was on the eighth-grade English test, where 74 percent of students scored proficiently, down from 80 percent last year.  Seventh-grade English saw a big increase in proficiency, with 81 percent testing in levels three or four this year after 74 percent scored proficiently last year. 

The Mount Pleasant Central School District’s proficiency level scores were well higher than the county average at each grade.

At the state-wide level, students across grades three through eight saw an increase in proficiency from last year.  Across the state, 55 percent of all students met or exceeded the English proficiency level, up from 53 percent last year.  In math, 65 percent scored proficiently, up from 63 percent last year. 

New York State Education Director John B. King said the slight increases are a good sign, but may not be enough for the higher standards in core curriculum that will be set state-wide in 2013.

“These results are a small, positive sign of growth, but not enough of our students are climbing as steadily as they should be,” King said.  “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."

Mount Pleasant Central School District Superintendent Susan Guiney was unavailable to comment Tuesday afternoon. 

Click here to follow Daily Voice Mount Pleasant and receive free news updates.