More Rochester Students Are Passing Math Exams in Grades 4 and 8; Rochester Surpasses Syracuse, Buffalo in Grade 4 Passing Rate

More students in the Rochester City School District are passing the New York State math exams at grades 4 and 8, according to state data released today.

At grade 4, the passing rate increased for the second consecutive year, from 57% in 2003 to 64% in 2004 (percentages scoring in levels 3 and 4). That 7-point increase is the greatest among any of the state’s Big 5 school districts and puts Rochester ahead of Buffalo and Syracuse in the percentage of students passing:

                                    2003                2004                Change

Syracuse                    69%                63%                 6-point decrease

Buffalo                        58%                 63%                 5-point increase

ROCHESTER           57%                 64%                  7-point increase

 At grade 8, the passing rate increased from 9.5% in 2003 to 19% in 2004. In addition, fewer students scored in the lowest performance level (Level 1), “far below” standards; that figure has decreased by 19 points since 1999.

“Coming as it does on the heels of a 16-point increase in passing on the grade 4 science exam, which we announced last week, and other positive results we’ve seen this year, the math data are further evidence that Rochester’s schools are turning the corner in performance,” said Rochester Superintendent of Schools Dr. Manuel J. Rivera. “But this is just the beginning. We will continue to be aggressive and push for even higher performance.”

In addition to the improvements in math, the District in 2004 has seen:

• More schools meeting annual progress targets in English language arts (ELA) in grades 4 and 8
• More students passing the grade 4 ELA and science exams
• More students passing the grade 5 social studies exam
• More high school students passing Regents math, English, history, and chemistry exams.
• Fewer schools on the state’s list of schools in need of improvement.

Grade 4 Math Shows Second Consecutive Year of Growth

The percentage of Rochester students passing the grade 4 math exam (scoring in Levels 3 and 4) has increased for the second consecutive year:

2002:               45%

2003:               57%

2004:               64%

Since 1999, the District has increased its passing rate by 24 points:

Based on the 2004 student population, that translates to 172 more students meeting standards in 2004 than in 2003, and 621 more students meeting standards than in 1999.

            Also on the 2004 grade 4 math exam:

• Thirty-six of 38 schools met the state’s annual progress targets, and 20 of 38 met the Superintendent’s targets for annual improvement, intended to drive each school toward a passing rate of at least 90% by 2008.

• Twenty-three of 38 schools increased their passing rates over 2003, and 16 showed double-digit increases, including:

            School No. 20             36 points

            School No. 54             29 points

            School No. 16             25 points

            School No. 17             24 points

            School No. 58             23 points

            School No. 4               22 points

            School No. 22             22 points

            School No. 19             21 points

• Two Rochester elementary schools—Schools No. 19 and 39—were removed from the state’s list of schools needing improvement as the result of increasing their passing rates on the grade 4 math exam for two consecutive years:

                                                            2002                2003                2004

                        School No. 19             32%                 50%                 71%

                        School No. 39             31%                 52%                 64%

• Fewer Rochester students scored in the lowest performance level (Level 1), “far below” standards, than in 2003. Since 1999, the District has decreased that percentage by 13 points:

                                    1999                19%

                                    2003                  9%

                                    2004                  6%

Based on the 2004 student population, that translates to 172 fewer students performing far below standards in 2004 than in 2003, and 339 fewer than in 1999.

Grade 8 Math Continues To Show Progress

The percentage of Rochester students passing the grade 8 math exam (scoring in Levels 3 and 4) has increased by 9.5 points since 2003:

Based on the 2004 student population, that translates to 185 more students meeting standards in 2004 than in 2003, and 238 more students meeting standards than in 1999.

            Also on the 2004 grade 8 math exam:

• Three of Rochester’s nine schools with eighth grades met the state’s annual progress targets: Nathaniel Rochester Community School, School of the Arts, and Marshall High School. Those three schools plus Douglass Middle School met the targets for annual improvement set by the Superintendent.

• Eight of nine schools increased their passing rates over 2003, and four showed double-digit increases:

            Nathaniel Rochester Community School         20 points

            Douglass Preparatory School                          13 points

            School of the Arts                                           13 points

            Marshall High School                                     12 points

• Fewer students scored in the lowest performance level (Level 1), “far below” standards, than in 2003. Since 1999, the District has decreased that percentage by 19 points:

1999                58%

2003                52%

2004                39%

Based on the 2004 student population, that translates to 236 fewer students performing far below standards in 2004 than in 2003, and 451 fewer than in 1999.

What’s Working

In school year 2003-2004, the District implemented greater support for teachers in the area of mathematics. Two teachers, one at the elementary level and one at the secondary level, have been designated as lead teachers in mathematics for the District.

Also, a teacher at each school serves as a math coach for all teachers in the school. Lead teachers provide professional development for math coaches twice a month. Math coaches—and at the secondary level, also math champions—work with teachers in schools by providing professional development opportunities, helping them plan instruction, modeling best practices, and co-teaching.

Also, schools have built a variety of innovations into their programs to enhance student learning: scheduling more time for math classes, scheduling common planning time for math teachers, encouraging more teacher collaboration, inviting more home participation, and developing “collegial learning circles” for sharing best practices.