WAPPINGERS SCHOOL DISTRICT—“Thrilled” is an English Language Arts word that Wappingers School District officials know well these days as they look over the results of this year’s New York State ELA exam.

The test, administered in grades three through eight across New York State in January, was taken by 5,700 WCSD students and 85 percent of them earned the hoped-for scores of either three or four. This represents an increase of about 8 percent over the 2007-08 school year and outpaces both the county and state numbers by three and eight percent, respectively.

The district’s two junior high schools and Myers Corners Elementary showed the largest overall gains in the number of 3 or 4 scores, with Wappingers Junior High topping the list at a 14 percent increase, Van Wyck following with 13 percent, and Myers with 10 percent. These increases raised the number of students earning three or four at the three schools to 80, 85, and 87 percent, respectively. The other schools in the WCSD showed gains between two and eight percent but even the more modest increases brought three schools, Vassar, Kinry, and Oak Grove, to a level of 90 percent or greater.

By grade level, Myers Corners sixth graders showed the most marked increase, 19 percent, in proficiency and mastery. Skill levels of junior high school students overall increased, which pleases district officials, who have noted for some time that the middle school years are difficult ones for students, with many losing ground academically.

The grade level with the highest number of students earning three or four was fifth grade, with 87 percent, even though several schools showed small decreases in the percentage of students at proficiency or mastery level. Kinry Road Elementary stood out for having 96 percent of both its fourth and fifth graders doing well on the test.

Debbie Weisel, district coordinator for English Language Arts K-8, called the results “huge” and Dr. Charlie Hill, Deputy Superintendent for Technology, Testing, and Assessments agreed.

“We’re thrilled with the numbers,” he said, adding that the district has no plans to rest on its laurels and hopes to see similar gains next year.

“This is not where we want to be, but we’re headed in the right direction,” he said.

Weisel, Hill, and Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Judy Belfield attribute the scores to the presence of a consistent curriculum across the WCSD and the in-classroom professional development teachers are getting through the efforts of literacy coaches, who model instructional strategies in the midst of actual teaching situations.

“The teachers are getting much better at meeting kids where they are,” Weisel said.

At the junior high level, the three officials say that Project ELA, a cross-disciplinary activity with social studies, has helped improve kids’ scores on the state tests.

Academic Intervention Services, known more commonly as AIS, is a requirement for all students who score a two or lower on the state exams, regardless of subject matter. With several years worth of testing data now available to them, officials have been able to see students who scored a two on a previous exam increase to a level three after taking AIS.

Hill, Belfield, and Weisel also not that parents are becoming more educated about the state tests and are taking an active role in helping their students score better.

And, of course, the kids deserve a good bit of the credit, too.

“The kids are working hard,” Weisel said. “They’re so engaged with [what they’re doing] they don’t even know it’s work.”

Weisel said it’s “nice to be able to celebrate” the accomplishments of the kids, particularly since this year’s scores meet the Board of Education’s long-standing goal of consistent improvement in ELA scores, with 85 percent of kids earning a three or better.

“It’s very exciting to see,” Weisel said.