Bethpage-Tribune_2004-05-14

              VOL 42 NO. 18
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SERVING BETHPAGE, ISLAND TREES, OLD BETHPAGE, PLAINVIEW, SEAFORD AND PLAINEDGE
May 14 - 20, 2004
-61
FORTY CENTS
Students
Achieving
Excellence
The combined efforts of the
Bethpage School District and the
community continue to pay off. This
is evidenced by the recent New York
State School Report Card results
from the 2003 year, as students at
JFK Middle School and Bethpage
High School made significant
improvement, while students at the
district's three elementary schools
continue to maintain a high level of
achievement that far exceeds State
averages.
'The diligent work of our
instructional staff, driven by the
support of our community, is
yielding strong results," said
Superintendent of Schools Harvey
Hilburgh. "Every year we refine our
program to align with the State
Standards. As we do this, our focus
remains on the child; to ensure that
every student receives the attention
they need to attain high levels of
achievement. As partners with
parents in this process, we know
there is a lot at stake. Our district is
committed to seeing that every child
succeeds."
Bethpage High School maintains
the highest graduation rate in the
immediate area, as 97% of students
received diplomas in 2003. Even
more impressive was the
percentage of students receiving
Regents Diplomas: 82% of the Class
of 2003 graduated with a Regents
Diploma, which ranks 16th highest
out of the 56 school districts in
Nassau County. This includes such
lighthouse districts as Jericho and
Great Neck.
On the Comprehensive English
Regents, 93% of students passed,
with 86% receiving a 65 or better.
Students gained high marks on the
foreign language exams as well, as
they achieved passing rates of 98%,
96%, and 95% on the Spanish,
French, and Italian Regents Exams,
respectively. On the US History and
Government Regents, 96% of
students passed, a 10%
improvement from the previous
year. On the Global History Exam,
87% of students passed.
In the area of mathematics, on
the Math A Regents Exam, 84% of
students passed with 46%
achieving the mastery level by
scoring 85 or better. In the first year
of the Math B Regents, 100% of
students taking the test passed.
The school also experienced a
100% passing rate on the Math III
JFK French Students Visit
Montreal
On April 15-18, 9th grade French students from Bethpage H.S. joined forces with
7th & 8th grade French students from JFK Middle School for a wonderful trip to
Montreal. They enjoyed 4 days of sight-seeing, shopping, eating, and practicing a
little French too. They are pictured here at the top of Mount Royal. It was a very "bon
voyage."
Regents Exam, with 69% achieving
mastery level.
In the sciences, on the Biology-
Living Environment Regents Exam,
97% of Bethpage students passed,
with 48% achieving the mastery
level. On the Earth Science-Physical
Setting Regents, 83% passed, with
45% achieving the mastery level. On
the Physics Regents, 88% of
students passed. On the Chemistry
Regents Exam, 89% passed, a 5%
improvement from the previous
year.
On the various Advanced
Placement Exams, an overwhelming
percentage of students scored 3+
on the majority of the exams, which
is the standard of excellence.
At JFK Middle School, students
experienced the most significant
improvement overall. The
percentage of students scoring in
Levels 3 and 4, the State Standard
for success, climbed dramatically in
all key indicators.
On the Grade 8 English
Language Arts Assessment, 70% of
JFK students scored in Levels 3 and
4. This marks a 14% improvement
from the previous year. By
comparison, only 45% of students,
statewide, scored in either of these
levels on this exam this year. On the
Grade 8 Mathematics Assessment,
83% of JFK students scored in
Levels 3 and 4 on the exam, a 23%
improvement over the previous
year. Statewide, only 51% of
students scored in Levels 3 and 4.
On the Grade 8 Science
Assessment, 96% of JFK students
scored in Levels 3 and 4, a slight
improvement from the previous
year. Statewide, only 73% of
students scored in either of these
levels. On the Grade 8 Social
Studies Assessment, 80% of JFK
students scored in Levels 3 and 4.
"We implemented a variety of
Academic Intervention Services
(AIS) for the 2002-2003 school year
that contributed tremendously to
this marked improvement," said
Assistant Superintendent for
Instruction Dr. Richard Marsh. 'This
included measures to increase
parent involvement and awareness
throughout the school year. The
Board of Education has included
additional Academic Intervention
Services in the proposed 2004-05
school district budget, so our
students can experience continued
gains next year."
Along with increased parental
involvement, restructured Learning
Labs, new instructional materials,
study skills programs, more reading
and writing across content areas,
restructured math labs, before, after-school,
and lunchtime AIS services,
and staff development all
contributed to the success at the
(Continued on Page 13)