Just do the math: Numbers add up well for Byram students

BYRAM - Statewide report cards are out and the numbers add up well for students in the Byram Township and Lenape Valley regional school districts. Just do the math. Eleventh-graders at Lenape Valley made the most significant gains in math, with 90 percent passing the statewide examination, up from 77 percent the previous year, according to statistics released by the Department of Education last week. The numbers are the result of tests taken the past winter and spring and compiled in the state’s 11th annual data analysis, the New Jersey Report Card for 2004-2005. Lenape Valley Superintendent Paul Palek Jr. said he wasn’t surprised by the improved math scores at the high school following last year’s results. “There were critical components that we addressed immediately,” he said. “We revamped our math curriculum to ensure that all students were being taught the necessary concepts and skills to approach the examination.” The superintendent said the students weren’t taught how to take the test, but rather to prepare for the concepts they would encounter. He said curriculum was evaluated and adjusted accordingly. “There’s a big difference between test-awareness and test-wiseness,” said Palek. “A higher level of thinking needs to take place when answering the questions.” Fourth-graders at Byram Lakes Elementary School also made great strides on the math test, with 95 percent of the students passing, up more than 5 percent from the prior year and well above the 80 percent mark calculated statewide. The math scores for Byram and Lenape Valley were consistent with statewide results that showed more elementary and high school students passing the tests. Math had been a source of concern in recent years, prompting former Acting Gov. Richard Codey to create a task force in 2004 to look into the problem. But middle schools across New Jersey continued to struggle on the math examination. Byram results again remained flat, with just 73 percent of the district’s eighth-graders passing the test. “We’re working on this across the state,” said acting Commissioner of Education Lucile Davy. “It’s encouraging to see changes, particularly at the fourth-grade level. There’s still a lot of work to be done at the middle- and high-school levels.” This year’s report cards also included the first science evaluations for fourth-graders, with Byram recording 98-percent efficiency. Sixth-graders also took a science test again, with Byram passing at a 94-percent rate. “In any significant data, there’s good news and bad news,” said Joseph Pezak, Byram superintendent of schools. “The good news is we’re showing improvement.” Byram third-grade reports were also on par with last year’s results, with 93 percent passing in language and 91 percent scoring proficiently in the math test. “I take a more intense look at these numbers and what’s behind them,” said Pezak. “Trying to understand all that is presented is like trying to understand a financial budget and tax rates.” Overall, statewide reading test scores improved and more students performed proficiently in math. State education officials attributed the better report cards to greater correlation between classroom materials, professional development and the state’s “core curriculum standards,” which require teachers to base lesson plans on an annual menu of skills and knowledge. The standards are also the foundation for the statewide exams. Pezak said he is most interested in how Byram compares to similar schools in the “I” classification, or District Factor Group, which defines a community’s socioeconomic status. A is for the poorest, and J is for the wealthiest. “We believe the curriculum can make an obvious difference and that is being looked at right now,” he said. “There are significant areas to improve in terms of rankings. Again, I want to see where we stand in relation to all these (‘I’) districts in all these rankings.” The report cards contain a wide array of statistics including information on average per-pupil spending, class size, dropout rates and post-graduation plans. Palek said Lenape Valley lags behind other Sussex County schools in the number of students who take the SATs because large segments of the senior population plan to attend two-year colleges. He said the school is in the midst of implementing a test awareness program to incorporate test skills and strategies aimed at taking the SATs regardless of post-graduation intentions. The state’s full report card can be accessed online at http://education.state.nj.us/rc/rc05/index.html. “You can’t dismiss these numbers because they become more and more high-stakes tests,” said Pezak. “We have to become accountable. Market values are determined by how you do in school. People put a lot of credence in these tests.”