District may make change in language arts placement

District may make change
in language arts placement
BY LARRY RAMER
Staff Writer

MARLBORO — The criteria for placing children in grades four through seven in advanced language arts classes may be different in September 2004 than it is at present, school administrators said.

As a result, a number of pupils may move from top-level language arts classes — known as "C" level classes — to less advanced "B" level classes in the 2004-05 school year, administrators indicated.

For the first time, a writing test will be an integral part of the criteria used to decide whether children in grades four to seven will be placed in "C" level language arts classes, said language arts supervisor Karen Kondek. All "C" level students and some outstanding "B" level students will take the test, she said.

The essays will be graded by teachers using a designated scoring system, Kondek said. Students’ compositions will be graded on a level of 1-6. Children will have to receive an overall grade of 5 or 6 on the composition in order to be placed in "C" level classes in the 2004-05 school year, Kondek said.

In some cases, pupils who receive a score of 4 on their essay will have their essay graded by a third teacher, Kondek added, and the child may be placed in a "C" level class depending on the third teacher’s assessment

The new criteria was instituted in or­der to improve pupils’ writing, Kondek said.

"The most common comments from teachers and parents is that seventh and eighth grade students don’t do as well on the writing section of standardized tests as on the reading comprehension section. A goal of mine is to improve students’ writing and one way to do that is to in­clude a writing test in the criteria for placing them in ‘C’ level classes," Kondek told Board of Education members at a re­cent meeting.

Superintendent of Schools David Abbott told school board members that written expression is critical because it is an important component of standardized tests taken by college-bound students such as the SAT and the ACT.

"Written expression is the end of the line in terms of whether we’re doing our job ... a student can read like crazy and not be able to write ... you’ve got to be able to write," Abbott said.

As a result, Abbott said, parents would be informed of the importance of writing. They will also be told that stu­dents have to write well in order to be placed in "C" level classes.

"Some people will probably be upset, [but] we know that there are numbers of children in ‘C’ level that should not be there and we need to set up a criteria about how that’s going to change," the superintendent said.

Board member Mark Orenzow said he believed the administration expects that fewer children will be placed in "C" level classes next year.

"I think the administration is indicat­ing there will probably be less ‘C’ level students next year," Orenzow said.

The board member said he has a sepa­rate concern about the language arts pro­gram. Before last year, he said, the school district had "A," "B" and "C" level classes. Students who learned at modest levels in language arts were placed in "A" level classes, while "B" was a middle-level class. Last year, the board, acting on the administration’s advice, decided to elimi­nate "A" level classes. Orenzow said he voted against that measure. This deci­sion, combined with the new writing test, may result in a difficult situation for some "B" level students, Orenzow said.

"You may have kids who were in "C" level classes in the "B" level with modest learners, and the [higher achieving stu­dents] may not get as much enrichment as they need," Orenzow said.