The Buffalo News has a story in today’s Sunday newspaper showing the NYS Report card for Erie and Niagara high schools. While our elementary school is in Erie County, our high school is in Cattaraugus County, so we’re not included in the report.
How does Gowanda stack up? The News reports passing rates (at 65%) and excelling rates (at 85% and above) for five Regents exams.
For 2006 in English, GHS is at 81% passing, 20% excelling (better known as mastery level) an increase from 2005 at 68% passing, 13% excelling. On the Math A Regents, 85% passing, 21% excelling; up from 2005 with 83% passing, 13% excelling. On US History, 89% passing, 43% excelling, up from 2005 with 76% passing, 30% excelling. On Global History, 70% passing, 17% excelling, up from 2005 with 59% passing, 16% excelling. And Biology, 78% passing, 10% excelling, down from 2005 with 85% passing, 19% excelling.
While we do not have the results of many of our Erie and Niagara county neighbors, when looking at our year to year improvement, it’s obvious that we’re getting there. On seven of nine Regents exams in 2006, we show strong improvement over 2005 results.
When compared to our other neighboring contract districts of Lake Shore, Silver Creek, and Salamanca, on many measures, we are doing as well as or better, depending on the exam and the school. Our mastery levels, or excelling, must continue to improve. Our friends in Silver Creek knock it out of the park in this area, with excelling/mastery levels ranging from 33% to 64%. Still, when compared against our previous year’s data, we are showing gains here.
Salamanca, who’s population is nearest ours, struggles with the same problems showing passing rates of 81% on English, with 33% excelling; on Math A passing 68% with 12% excelling; on US History passing 73% with 36% excelling; on Global History passing 52% with 16% excelling, and on Biology passing 64% with 7% excelling.
For G-Town readers who, like me, wondered where we fall in this school to school comparison, this post should provide the information you need. For G-Town teachers, parents and students, I’m learning that improvement and achievement gains take time. Our Regents results show evidence of your strong work and efforts to bring success to all Gowanda students. Thank you–I look forward to June, when we expect our best results yet.
It’s really hard, but you and your school will be better off if you can step back and look at longer term trends, rather than year-to-year changes, which tend to jump up and down.