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By JENNIFER L. HENN and JEAN LACOE; Times Leader Staff
Writers
Wednesday, December 23, 1998     Page: 1A

They’re not all the same.
   
The state Department of Education recently released the results of its
annual assessment tests and local school administrators are warning the public
to look- really look- before they judge.
    “Most times people just drop to the bottom line, the scores and how they
compare to the state average,” said Ray Bernardi, director of curriculum at
Wyoming Area School District. “But that doesn’t give anyone a clear picture of
what’s going on.”
   
The tests, administered between February and March, measure performance in
math and reading in grades five, eight and 11. Of the 63 schools for which
1997-98 and 1996-97 scores were available, 25 went up and 30 went down in
math, 26 went up and 31 went down in reading.
   
Most Dallas, Greater Nanticoke Area and Hazleton school district scores
dropped or remained steady. Almost all of Northwest Area’s scores increased
from last year- some as many as 140 points- and all were above average.
   
This is the first year the state Department of Education awarded grants to
schools where scores improved more than 50 points. The state’s program
reiterates what local administrators say: It’s more important to judge
progress by past performance than by making broad-sweeping comparisons to
other districts with disparate backgrounds.
   
“Similar characteristics, like conditions, socioeconomic backgrounds,
that’s what you need to make a valid comparison,” Bernardi said. “Otherwise
you’re comparing apples to oranges, you’re comparing Wyoming Area to a
Philadelphia city school.”
   
Even within Luzerne County there is a wide range of school district types,
Bernardi said. For example, a comparison between downtown Wilkes-Barre Area
and rural Northwest Area scores would prove little.
   
Wilkes-Barre Area Superintendent Jeff Namey said he’s pleased with progress
of the district’s elementary schools, where scores in math and reading were
above the state average even though some fell beneath last year’s scores.
   
But Namey is concerned about eighth- and 11th-grade scores, especially at
Meyers High School, where 11th-grade scores dropped 60 points in math and 50
points in reading.
   
“On the one hand, you can’t look at a year at a time, because you’re
measuring different populations every year,” he said. “But that’s what we do
and although we’ve made significant changes in the curriculum this year, you
can’t expect to see changes right away,”
   
Crestwood School District Superintendent Gordon Snow is similarly satisfied
with his elementary school scores but concerned with high school scores.
   
All 11th-grade and eighth-grade scores dropped from last year, with reading
scores dropping 60 points in both grades. The elementary school scores were
nearly consistent, except for a 50-point increase in the Rice Elementary
reading score.
   
This year, students there were administered the test over a five-day period
instead of the 2 1/2-day period as in previous years. They plan to go back to
the old format next year.
   
Despite some shortcomings, Namey was quick to point out that overall, the
district’s scores have steadily improved- about 20 points per year- during the
past three years.
   
At Wyom