Students fare well on state social studies examination

Students fare well on state
social studies examination

ENGLISHTOWN — The social studies component of the state’s Elementary School Proficiency Assessment (ESPA) test will be history, according to the supervisor of social studies for the Manalapan-Englishtown Regional School District.

Speaking at a meeting of the district Board of Education, Bruce Mitzak, supervisor of social studies, told board members, "I hope you have had the opportunity to read the analysis of the social studies ESPA, the long awaited, but rarely given social studies test which has been discontinued."

The district fared well according to the results of the last test (administered to fourth-graders in the fall), Mitzak said.

"Some districts spent a lot of money preparing their children for the ESPA," the supervisor said. "We taught our curriculum."

Mitzak said administrators didn’t know whether the ESPA test would be discontinued. He said he wanted to make sure the curriculum the district had prepared over the years was effectively teaching all of the skills pupils needed to do well on the ESPA. He said he also wanted to know the skills that were being taught were good social studies skills for the ESPA and for the Grade Eight Proficiency Assessment (GEPA).

A spokesman for the state Department of Education confirmed to the News Tran-script that the social studies component of the fourth-grade ESPA test will no longer be given.

"Good social studies skills were far more important to me than spending time prepping for this particular test," Mitzak told the board. "The results are quite clear. Ninety-seven percent of our regular education students were in the proficient or advanced proficient category."

Mitzak said that only 16 students in the entire district did not "pass the test" and the results indicated a very commendable level of skill learning.

"I’m actually disappointed the state has canceled the social studies test in the ESPA and the GEPA because I think our teachers do an excellent job teaching social studies," Mitzak said. "I think they do an excellent job preparing students for what is necessary in social studies and I think the results of this test demonstrate that."

Mitzak said administrators will continue to update the social studies curriculum according to the latest state standards for the subject.

"We should be very happy and pleased with the results of the test and not only the contributions of our teachers, but the success of our students," the supervisor said.

The ESPA social studies section measures students’ knowledge and skills in civics, history and geography.

Test scores are reported using a scale with a range of 100 to 300. Advanced proficiency ranges from 250 to 300; proficiency from 200-249; and partial proficiency from 100 to 199. The scores of students who are included in the Partially Proficient level are considered to be below the state minimum level for proficiency.

The average scale scores for all students, general education and special education were: all students, 228.3; general education, 230.6; and special education 204.2. Fifty-seven percent of the students were at the advanced proficiency level, he said.

Comparing the general education population with the academically talented students removed, the total mean score at Lafayette Mills was 230.8; at Pine Brook, 228.4; and Wemrock Brook, 227.4. The mean score for the academically talented group was 250.2.