Scarsdale Students Demonstrate High Proficiency on State-Wide Tests and College Entrance Exams
- Details
- Written by: Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 3797
At a time when the media is reporting educational gaps in learning due to the pandemic, students at Scarsdale Schools do not seem to have lost proficiency as demonstrated in statewide tests for elementary and middle schoolers and on the SAT’s, ACT’s and achievement tests for college-bound students.
Before previewing the results, Superintendent Drew Patrick cautioned that these tests only measure performance at a moment in time and do not reflect student’s experiences nor the value or merit of our schools. However he said, “We do pay attention to these measures against prior years and other communities.” He asked parents to “resist drawing sweeping conclusions from this data.”
Introducing the data, Assistant Superintendent Edgar McIntosh said, “Learning loss has been of great concern across the pandemic however Scarsdale continues to maintain high levels of achievement.” Again he warned, these results “represent only skills that can be assessed. Assessments were paused or amended during 2020-21, so we are comparing this data to 2019.”
About college admittance, Dean Oren Iosepovici will give a presentation about college admission at the BOE meeting 12/5.
The chart showed that nearly 100% of Scarsdale students go on to four year colleges. However, in 2022, 61% went onto the most competitive colleges which fell from 63% the prior year and 67% in 2020.
The mean SAT scores remained high at 673 on the English portion and 701 on the math, total mean scores compared positively to prior year and far exceed national values. Comparing Scarsdale’s ACT and SAT scores to comparable districts, Scarsdale scores were the highest among the eight comparable districts shown.
Scores on Advance Placement test were also impressive. In 2022, 94% of the 318 students taking 583 AP tests scored a 3,4 or 5.
Turning to elementary school student performance on the state ELA test, 85% of students in grades 3 to 7 scored in levels 3 and r of proficiency, which was on a par with 2018 and 2019.
On the math tests, 87% of Scarsdale students in grade 3-8 were proficient at levels 3 and 4, down one percentage point from 2019 and 2018.
The graphs show variation in these scores by elementary school, but again, McIntosh warned against drawing any conclusions about these small variances in performance.
During a question period from the Board, Jessica Resnick-Ault said, "At a time when a lot of districts have been dealing with falling scores we have seen some remarkable rises in some of these scores. What do you think accounts for that? McIntosh was not able to draw hard and fast conclusions, but said, "I believe there was a great deal of support for our students and structures built in to make sure we were attending to the content and skills that were essential in each grade." However, he did add, "communities that are the hardest hit are the ones with higher levels of poverty and less access."
Take a look at all the data here:
Click here to see the supporting data:
Commenting on the report, Mayra Kirkendall-Rodriguez said, "
Thank you for your time and efforts on the Education Report and supporting documents. Please tell us what are the quantitative and qualitative metrics that parents and taxpayers should refer to in order to establish if our children are receiving a world class education?
Page 5 of the report states that 60% of seniors are getting accepted to competitive colleges, a decline from 67% in 2020. Competitive in your report is the list of Barron’s top 100 universities and colleges. What about the other 40% in 2022? Where are they going? The school data that I have shows that in 2006, 82% of the senior class was accepted to the top 31 universities in the US. Last year, that figure was about 40%. So are the remaining 60% going to top colleges in the US? Institutes? Colleges or universities abroad? Why had that figure gone from 82% to 40%?
On pages 8-9 SAT and ACT scores are listed as the mean. Would it also be helpful to provide information as a median? How much does tutoring influence these scores?
On page 10 with the AP data, it shows that there has been a rise in students taking AP from 2016 to the present. Would it be helpful to include data from 2004 – 2005 before the decision was made to eliminate AP courses and go to AT? How many students took AP tests before that point and how does that compare to today?
On pages 14-19th, referring to state tests, Level 3, means proficient in state standards and level 4 means exceeding state standards. The data are lumped together in the presentation. Why not present the data in the presentation the way that it is in the supporting document on page 17 by each individual Levels 1-4?
Out of curiosity, why was Scarsdale 2021 data not shown in the report? While in 2021 some grades had fewer students take the tests, in some grades in 2021 more took them than in 2022. Aggregate Scarsdale Scores in 2022 have dropped significantly from peak proficiency years of 2009 and 2012 and also declined in comparison to 2021. Would you kindly provide detail as to causes for this?
What steps do you think are necessary to support students to excel state standards, which many argue are not sufficiently robust since there are many parts of NY where income and racial disparities lead to low level of resources unlike what we are so fortunate to have here. SMS 7th grade scores which now would be 8th graders had 38% exceling in ELA and 49% exceling in math standards? Do they need resources to help them transition to high school, since that is coming up rapidly? There were significant differences in the scores through the five elementary schools, especially a difference between Edgewood and Greenacres. Kindly give us insight as to why those differences exist and what resources are necessary so that everyone is at a level 4?
On world languages? What is the goal? Is it fluency? How is that being measured? If it is not fluency, then what are the objectives?
I look forward to hearing the questions that the BOE poses and what policies you might implement to support our students.
Village Launches First Paint Recycling Program
- Details
- Written by: Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 2873
The Village of Scarsdale now has a paint recycling program!
Starting Saturday, October 29th, Scarsdale residents can bring their leftover cans of latex and oil-based paint, stain and varnish to the Recycling Center at 110 Secor Road during business hours which are Monday to Saturday, 8am to 3pm. The paint recycling area is located next to the Food Scrap Recycling Drop-off Site.
On Opening Day (October 29th), resident volunteers will be on hand to help people place their cans into the transport receptacles, and there will be many extra receptacles available to be filled.
The Village is very excited to add paint to its recycling program. Scarsdale is the first town in Westchester County to have a municipal paint recycling program. The collected paint will be recycled into new paint, and the cans will be recycled into new metal!
Accepted paint products include:
House paint and primers (latex and oil-based)
Deck coatings, floor paint (including elastomeric) and concrete sealers
Clear finish (e.g., varnish, shellac)
Interior and exterior architectural paint (latex and oil-based)
Field and lawn paints
Metal coatings, rust preventatives
Waterproofing concrete/masonry/wood sealers and repellents (No tar or bitumen-based allowed)
Help make this new program a success by recycling all of your paint. Questions? Email Scarsdale Conservation Advisory Council Chair Michelle Sterling at [email protected].
Other items that can be recycled at the Recycling Center include:
• Food Scraps
• Plastic Bags and Plastic Film
• Electronics
• Textiles
• Scrap Metal
• Tennis Balls
• Furniture
• Take it or Leave it Shed
• Cooking Oil
• Books
• Eyeglasses
• Cork
• Commingled Recycling (glass, plastic, metal, cartons)
• Paper and Cardboard
Visit the Sanitation page on the Scarsdale website for more details about recycling each item or review the Recycling Guide.
Commenting on the implementation of the program, Michelle Sterling said, “Ron Schulhof and I worked hard to get the NYS Paint Recycling Bill passed and Scarsdale is the first town in Westchester to have a paint recycling drop off site. Hopefully the first of many! It was a long road but we’re so glad and excited for it finally to be happening. The more convenient it is for people to recycle the more they will recycle!
Exploring Scarsdale's Tree Canopy
- Details
- Written by: Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 3036
There’s a reason Scarsdale wins the Tree City award every year and why we’re called a Village in a Park. That’s because the Village treasures, manages and cares for our tree canopy. That was evident on Sunday October 2, when Cynthia Roberts, a board member of the Friends of Scarsdale Parks, offered two “tree” tours of Chase Park in Scarsdale Village.
Despite threatening weather, residents came out to learn about our trees and ask questions about their own. Roberts was knowledgeable about tree identification, tree care and a wonderful proponent for preserving green space in the Village.
After discussing the towering oaks and tulip trees, she showed off the native dogwoods and evergreens and explained the environmental interplay between trees, moss, birds and insects.
Here are a few questions that were posed on the tour – and answers from Cynthia.
What benefits do trees bring to the environment?
Our gorgeous trees explain why Scarsdale is known as “a Village in a Park.” Trees produce the oxygen we breath, eliminate pollutants from the air, slow and absorb rainwater preventing floods, and regulate the temperature. Trees also raise property values, save heating and cooling energy, and improve human mental and physical health. While they are producing oxygen, trees take in and store climate-changing carbon dioxide. Planting trees is one thing we can do today to help slow climate change.
Roberts explains how to determine that age of a tree.
Trees play an essential role in our local ecosystem by harnessing the sun’s energy and creating food by a process called photosynthesis. Remember that only plants can produce food. And leaves are the basis for all food chains. For example, the white oak tree (Quercus alba in botanical nomenclature) co-evolved in this region with the other plants, insects and animals, and is therefore considered a “native” tree here. The White oak is reported to support more native insects than any other species of tree in the Northeast. Why is supporting these insects important? We wouldn’t have many songbirds without thousands of soft caterpillars that comprise the “baby-food” that Mom and Dad songbird need to feed a nest of chicks in spring. Chase Park’s collection of towering white oaks furnishes rich wildlife habitat not only via their leaves that feed insects, but also by providing nesting sites and producing acorns, which feed myriad mammals and birds.
Why do leaves turn colors in the fall?
The colors we see in leaves come from pigments, natural materials produced by leaves. When we see green leaves, this is due to the green pigment chlorophyll. This is the most important pigment because it enables the tree to use sunlight, water and carbon dioxide (via photosynthesis) to produce oxygen and food for the tree in the form of carbohydrates. Carotenoids are another type of pigment, which can be yellow, orange, or brown. You may be familiar with them because they are found in carrots. In the fall when the days get shorter and the temperature cools, leaves stop producing chlorophyll, and the yellows, oranges and browns of the carotenoids are unmasked. They were there all along but were hidden by the chlorophyll. Some tree species produce an additional set of pigments in the fall, called anthocyanins. These allow us to see pink, red, and purple leaves. The amount of this type of pigment varies with the weather each year. We will see the most pinks, reds and purples during falls following wet springs, and when fall weather gives us sunny days and cold, but not freezing nights.
Why do people put mulch around their trees’ trunks?
The primary reason to put mulch (shredded bark, wood chips, or leaves) under your trees is to promote healthy tree growth. Mulching helps by:
1. keeping the mowers and weed-wackers away from your tree’s trunk,
2. retaining moisture in the soil during the summer,
3. reducing weed growth under your tree, and
4. improving the quality of the soil as the mulch decomposes.
How much mulch should I put around my tree?
Please do not allow anyone to pile mulch up against your tree’s trunk. A practice known as “volcano mulching”, this promotes bark decay and can promote unhealthy root growth. The best practice is to keep mulch 2 inches away from the trunk. In addition, the recommended depth of mulch under trees is 2-3 inches. For a small young tree, the mulch layer can be spread on the ground starting from 2 inches away from the trunk and extending out to the tree’s drip line. The drip line is the outer circle where rain would drip off the leaves of your tree onto the ground. On a large tree, however, mulching out to the drip line would encompass an enormous area. Some homeowners might not want to mulch the entire area because much of your yard would be covered in brown mulch. In that case, simply apply mulch starting 2 inches from the trunk and extending out as far as you like, but at minimum several feet from the trunk to keep the mowers away and to provide the other benefits of mulch.
Another solution is to connect your mulched trees by creating planting beds around them. I have replaced most of my front lawn with planting beds that encompass trees, shrubs and native perennial flowers. This keeps the mowers away from my trees and allows me to mulch the entire bed while maintaining an attractive front yard.
What are some of your favorite native trees, which might be a good choice for a Scarsdale yard?
Below are a few of my favorite small to medium-sized trees that are native to this region. The first three sport spectacular spring blooms and produce fruit that feeds wildlife.
1. American dogwood (Cornus florida):
Large white flowers, red berries, and crimson fall color
2. Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis):
Heart-shaped leaves, pink-purple blooms and gold fall color
3. Serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea):
Multi-stemmed often, a cloud of early spring white blooms followed by dark blue fruits and orange fall color.
4. American holly (Ilex opaca):
This is an evergreen that produces shiny green spine-tipped leaves and red berries. These trees provide year-round privacy screening. Note that only the female American holly produces berries, so consult your nursery before purchasing.
When is the best time to prune your trees?
The timing of pruning depends on your purpose in pruning. Experts say that pruning to remove dead wood or a few small branches can be done in any season, but suggest avoiding fall pruning due to the seasonally enhanced presence of fungal spores. Otherwise, it is best to research your species of tree for the optimal pruning time or ask a professional arborist. Most private arborists will inspect the condition of your tree without charge. Be sure that the arborist is certified by the International Society of Arboriculture or another recognized program and is insured.
Westchester County provides a comprehensive website to empower Westchester residents to grow more plants. There is an extensive section on Trees, which includes guidance on how to select a tree species for your yard, pick out a tree at a nursery, and plant, mulch, and prune the tree. This website was created thanks to over 100 Westchester residents who volunteered their expertise and time.
If you have questions about your trees, email us at [email protected].
A perennial garden installed by the Friends of Scarsdale Parks at Boniface Circle.
Scarsdale Troop 4 and Cub Scout Pack 440 Recruit New Members
- Details
- Written by: Mayra Kirkendall Rodriguez
- Hits: 2919
Over 150 students, parents and scouts attended the Scarsdale Troop 4 and Cub Scout Pack 440 Recruiting Event on Sunday, September 18th. Scouts, ranging from the 6th to the 11th grade, ran stations demonstrating how to cook quesadillas outdoors and cycling to power a blender to make delicious and healthy smoothies. The new girls-linked troop held an egg drop experiment to teach younger participants about gravity and engineering. Scouts also helped elementary aged students have a car race with wooden cars, a race known in the scouting world as the Pinewood Derby; scouts assisted students to build small sailboats that they then raced in a regatta. Scouts and adult volunteers also taught students how to light a fire, tie knots, and of course, how to make s’mores. Several elementary and middle school students signed-up on the spot to join Troop 4 and Cub Scout Pack 440; others are joining this week.
Troop 4 will be helping run a station about disabilities awareness at the upcoming Thunderbird Games on October 15th. This annual event is the largest Cub Scout gathering in the Northeast and features over 40 activity stations run by area Scout troops to teach younger Cub Scouts about fitness, outdoor skills and more. Perennial favorites have included the haunted house, climbing course and chariot races (Cubs are the passengers and Scouts pull the chariots and all appear to have a great deal of fun). Troop 4 Scarsdale will also spend multiple weekends outdoors this fall for tent and cabin camping as well as participate in multiple hikes of increasing distance in pursuit of the Hiking Merit Badge.
The scouts will start meeting on a weekly basis on Sundays starting October 2nd. At those meetings, they talk about civics, citizenship, leadership, and diversity, equity and inclusion; they work on Scout skills such as first aid, fitness and outdoor skills and they conclude with a weekly game designed by the scouts.
The next joint Troop 4 and Cub Scout Pack 440 recruiting event is the Pumpkin Carving on October 23rd at 4pm at the Weinberg Nature Center. Bring Your Own Pumpkin, carving tools and markers!
Any sixth to eleventh graders interested in joining Scarsdale’s Troop 4 may contact Scoutmaster Ted Mazza at [email protected]. For the girls-linked Troop, please contact Mayra Kirkendall-Rodríguez, [email protected] Please visit Troop 4’s website and Facebook page. For Cub Scout Pack 440, please contact Cubmaster Brian Rosenthal, [email protected]; you may visit Cub Scout Pack 44 at https://scarsdalecubs.wixsite.com/pack440.
Saving Our Democracy, One Vote at a Time
- Details
- Written by: Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 3195
The right to vote in free and fair elections is now in jeopardy, putting our democracy at risk. That’s what Lauren Miller , Counsel, Brennan Center's Democracy Program documented at a meeting of the League of Women Voters of Scarsdale in the dining tent in Scarsdale Village on Monday September 19, 2022.
Sadly, a legacy of the Trump administration, are challenges to local and state election laws and threats to election workers that resulted in disenfranchised voters, limits on voting rights, restrictive voter legislation and shortages of election workers who are fearful of reprisal.
In her talk, “The January 6 Hearings and the Big Lie’s Ongoing Threats to our Democracy,” Miller showed how false claims about the 2020 election have prompted the passage of anti-voter laws and mistrust in the electoral process.
According to Miller, ““The Big Lie” is the simple idea that the 2021 election was taken from President Trump by President Biden. That relies on hundreds of false claims of voter fraud…. all of those claims were proven to be false. …There were over 60 lawsuits. But it was in fact one of the most secure elections I American history.”
Miller continued, “The country has a decentralized system for administering elections. Each county makes their own rules. Each state has their own policy for counting votes. Therefore there are many, many opportunities to make claims. If we had one unified system there would not be a basis for these claims.”
Taking advantage of the decentralized process, in 2021 18 states passed 34 restrictive voter laws, the most ever in history and this movement continues in 2022 when 142 bills have already been introduced. She said there has been a “Rise in election interference or sabotage legislation… The laws make it easier to replace local election officials if they don’t like how it’s going.”
The Brennan Center has documented the link between the restrictive voting bills and those who promulgated the Big Lie. The Brennan Center has analyzed every single lawsuit and found that corresponding laws were introduced. She said, “We are facing a serious problem. These are not coincidental…. There are even bills to eliminate mail in ballots. … Most troubling is that these laws are disenfranchising voters of color.”
She also discussed the threats to local voting officials, saying, “We are seeing that vigilantes are attacking elected officials for doing their jobs and giving death threats to families, spouses and children.”
She reported:
Alissa Baum, President of the LWVS
-One in six election officials have experienced these threats – and they are in association with the big lie.
-One in five election officials are preparing to resign before the 2024 election.
-One in three election officials knows someone who has left already.
What can we do? Miller advised the group to:
-Continue to mobilize
-Organize in your community
-Counter disinformation
-Becoming a poll worker
In addition, the Brennan Center is asking Congress to strengthen our democratic guard rules. Miller was heartened by the fact that the John Lewis Voting Rights Act almost passed Congress this year. The act would have strengthened voting laws, offered protection for voting officials and protect the right to vote. About the bill she said, “It is not a matter of if – it is a matter of when.”
The bill would restore the law to full strength, in part by once again requiring states with histories of voter discrimination to receive approval from the Department of Justice or a federal court before enacting voting changes.
Furthermore, Miller said, “ The January 6 hearings are doing so much to bring these issues to light and organizations like the LWVS allows us to get the message out.”
The event was sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Scarsdale, a volunteer nonpartisan political organization which promotes political responsibility through informed and active participation of citizens in government. The League is nonpartisan in that it does not support or oppose any candidate for public office; it is political in that it takes positions on selected governmental issues after serious member study and consensus. Learn more here.
(Pictured at top: Lauren Miller of the Brennan Center addressed the League of Women Voters of Scarsdale.)
