Education
What happens to math proficiency between fourth and eight grades?
By Lee Chowaniec
Oct 1, 2005, 21:17

The Buffalo News recently reported state math proficiency scores for the City of Buffalo and Erie and Niagara Counties. The intent here is to focus on some Erie County suburban school districts and let the reader determine whether they are getting a bang for their school tax buck and whether the numbers reveal their school district is heading in the right direction for scholastic improvement.

Holland was singled out as making the best improvement in fourth grade math proficiency. The percentage of eight-graders that scored at or above proficiency levels from 2003-05 increased steadily: 2003 – 65.1, 2004 – 79.1, 2005 – 82.7.

Holland Principal Eric Lawton attributes the improvement to team approach. Teachers are working together with the mind-set that what each of them accomplishes is a reflection of their skill in preparing the child for the following year.

Considering that Holland’s fourth-graders are performing at 89.3 percent proficiency while eight-graders are performing at 82.7%, the gap is quite small. The same cannot be said for most suburban schools on the list below:




As the professional paid media like to point out, they are the pure journalists. They report the unbiased facts. Most often that is true. However, the facts they receive and report on are often data or information dispensed by agencies and/or individuals that present them in their own favorable light.

The Buffalo News focused on Buffalo schools and reported in its headlines that although eight grade math proficiency scores were down a school official cites increase by fourth graders. Good news and bad news.

But, what does the presented data really indicate? In the Town of Lancaster residents:

· Experienced a property revaluation program recently and where many homeowners have seen their school taxes increase by hundreds of dollars.

· Voted down an 8.75 percent school budget spending increase, but were still saddled with a 7.75 percent contingency budget.

· Have recently been informed by Thomas Malecki, of the auditing firm Drescher and Malecki that the Lancaster Board of Education reserve fund is too low - $1.2 million. Malecki said the Board will have to get away from “roller coaster” tax rates and use strategic planning for the future. He suggested raising the tax rate.

For many disgruntled taxpayers the only strategic planning they want to hear about is controlled town growth and controlled town and school spending.

· Were informed that the Lancaster School District was #1 in cost per pupil spending for the 2004-05 school year. They now have good reason to believe that will not be the case next year.

Bang for the buck

It was nice to hear and report that Lancaster was #1 in cost per pupil spending last year. But that information and recognition has little bearing on what taxpayers are now paying to support a school system that is growing and will require additional expansion and higher capitol spending.

The following e-mail sent me exemplifies the tone and fear many town residents share. D.R. writes:

I fear this is the beginning of the end. I just received this year’s school tax bill receipt in the mail. After doing the math, I figured my school taxes increased 37%. My last years bill was $1624, based on an assessment of $80,400 and a rate of $20.20 / $1000. This year my assessment jumped to $143, 000. The rate went down to $15.40 /$1000. This resulted in my taxes increasing to $2203 for 2005. I now have to pay $600 more this year for school services, which by the way, I only utilize for bus service. (My kids, by my choice, go to private catholic school).

D.R is spending more in school taxes alone than homeowners in many other states spend on their total tax bill for a house with twice the market value. Considering Lancaster is a growing town with total property valuation and resulting revenues increasing significantly every year, what would (or will be) the tax load be if, or when, the town was built out? But then again, how many of our government officials really worry about the future of todays kids?

Where this all leads to is that many Lancaster residents wonder whether we are getting a bang for the buck re scholastic achievement. They have every right to concern themselves and ask:

· What causes the math proficiency levels to drop, most times significantly, between fourth and eight grades? 97.8% to 73.9% in 2005?

· Is the decrease in proficiency the result of that raging hormonal period of change in a child’s adolescence, as some educators would have you believe? Does the curriculum get that much harder? Do teachers just move children through the system even though they are not qualified to move on? Have some parents resigned from actively participating in and/or overseeing their child or children’s education?

· Lancaster’s fourth grade math proficiency percentage seems more than acceptable (97.8) – ranked 3rd out of the 20 schools listed. However, is the eight grade 73.9% proficiency level acceptable? Would anyone consider it acceptable to have 26% of Lancaster’s eight-graders unable to pass a state standard math test?

When we find in today’s world that young adults have difficulty making change and where 26% of eight-graders in our town are not proficient in math, isn’t it fair for residents who are saddled with outrageous tax liabilities to ask for an accounting on how their money is being spent. The Board of Education’s mantra, “Open your wallets, its for the kids,” just doesn’t cut it anymore.





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