The L.P. Quinn Elementary School’s main entrance is seen on Aug. 8 in Tupper Lake. (Enterprise photo — Chris Gaige)

TUPPER LAKE — Trend is a friend when it comes to reading and math assessment results at the Tupper Lake Central School District’s L.P. Quinn Elementary School.

Across the board, students improved their scores from last year’s results in four assessments that are used to track how pre-K through grade six students are starting the academic year, relative to the curriculum standards for their grade level. The majority of students remained below the benchmarks in the two tests given to the upper elementary grade levels.

This fall, 65% of TLCSD students performed at or above their benchmarks for the earlyMath test. For the earlyReading test, 54% of students were at or above their benchmarks. The aMath test had 39% of students at or above benchmarks and the aReading test had 36% of students at or above benchmarks. Students in grades pre-K through one took the earlyReading and earlyMath tests, while grades two through six took the aReading and aMath tests.

The figures all represent increases from last year’s fall tests in their respective categories — when 54% of TLCSD students were at or above their benchmarks for the earlyMath, 48% for the early Reading test, 37% for the aMath and 32% for the aReading. In 2023, 65% of TLCSD students were at or above their benchmarks for the earlyMath, 42% for the earlyReading test, 41% for the aMath and 33% for the aReading.

L.P. Quinn Elementary School Principal Elizabeth Littlefield shared the results at TLCSD’s regular monthly board meeting on Oct. 6. It was depersonalized and presented in aggregate in keeping with student privacy standards — meaning that the results were for the entire group of students taking the test, rather than individuals.

Littlefield said it was encouraging to see increases across the board from last year, and highlighted the earlyReading’s sustained 6% increases two years in a row — at the beginning of the year. She added that the data — while helpful — has its limitations, and only a small part of the overall portfolio of student success.

“Of course, some students rush or do not perform as expected, resulting in false scores,” she said. “We work really hard to make sure that the tests are administered with fidelity. These measures also are not a replacement for other assessments that measure higher-order thinking skills and/or complex problem-solving skills.”

These tests are different from the yearly state tests. Those are administered in the spring for grades three through eight for reading and math, and once in grade five and once in grade eight for science. The “early” and “a” tests are designed by FastBridge, which is owned by Renaissance Learning, a private education company. The tests are administered throughout public schools throughout the state under a contract with the New York State Education Department.

The “early” and “a” tests are shorter than the state tests. The aReading and aMath tests typically take 15 to 20 minutes to complete and are administered on school-issued Chromebook laptops that students use throughout the day. The tests adapt to the student taking it — meaning if the student submits an incorrect answer, they are prompted with an easier subsequent question, while if they answer a question correctly, the next one is more difficult.

EarlyReading and earlyMath tests are administered one-on-one by a teacher to a student, Littlefield noted. This allows for direct observation and real-time scoring of accuracy and fluency for the district’s youngest students. The early tests are comprised of a bunch of short subtests that measure specific foundational skills, such as letter sounds or number identification.

At Tupper Lake, they are administered three times per year, in September, December and May. The first benchmark is designed to provide educators with an initial identification of students who are likely starting the year significantly behind where they should be for their grade level, Littlefield wrote. With that, they can provide immediate support and academic intervention early in the school year when it’s most effective.

“Using the screener multiple times each year helps us with early identification and prevention; it’s always most effective to intervene before a student is significantly behind,” she added. “The mid-year benchmark evaluates the effectiveness of our interventions; it also identifies new students who may be falling behind. The end-of-year benchmark provides us the final status of a student’s achievement for the grade level. We use all of this information, in addition to progress monitoring data, grades on report cards, etc. to plan for the subsequent school year.”

Littlefield added that once the district completes its mid-year screening, it will have information to determine what the trajectory of its progress is, allowing it to set more realistic goals and expectations going into the end of the year.

“Overall, we want kids who are on track to stay on track, and those who are at risk to show growth,” she said.