State Raises Passing Scores

The New York State Board of Education changed the percentages required for "proficient" ratings on their standardized tests earlier this month.

New requirements say students need to score between a 660 - 680 in order to pass both math and English, depending on the grade level and test. 

The change in standards means that students who were proficient in previous years may now only meet the basic standard.

Smithtown students in grades 3-8 took the tests two months ago and the median scores were at or above the newly- raised proficiency levels. The median scores were also higher than both the Suffolk county and state averages (see graphs in photo gallery for Smithtown scores by grade).

Chancellor Merryl H. Tisch said that these new grade requirements – which have been increased from 650 to levels that vary by grade – will enable students to be college-ready and earn better scores on the high school level. It allows students a more accurate reading of their abilities with the varied levels for each grade, according to the department of education's research. 

John King, Senior Deputy Commissioner for P-12 Education said these standards do not change what students have learned, but set the bar higher for educators, parents and students alike. 

In order to create the new standards, the state Board of Education gathered information from the state Testing Advisory Group (TAG) and CTB/McGraw-Hill, the state's testing contractor.