Plainview Schools Ace State Report Cards; Superintendent Praises Community

The schools got stellar marks in virtually all categories of academic proficiency, blowing away statewide averages, according to reports issued today by the state Education Department. 

The state report contains information that has been released to public throughout the past year but the state bills its Report Card as a single place to find all the information. It is available at http://www.p12.nysed.gov/irs/reportcard/.

District Superintendent Gerard W. Dempsey credited the community with the great report card: 

"We're very pleased," he said. "This shows that we have many, many students going on to higher education and that is gratifying.

"Our high school and its teachers are very focused on every child so that when we are presented with kids with special needs we have alternative programming for them."

Of the 414 graduates of Plainview-JFK in the 2009-2010 school year, a stunning 97 percent received Regents diplomas, and 81 percent received advanced designation Regents diplomas, figures that put Plainview near the top of the state.

Statewide, 83 percent of students earned Regents diplomas and 33 percent earned the advance designation. On Long Island, the figure is about 90 percent for Regents diplomas.

Dropouts were virtually non-existent in the 2009-10 school year in Plainview (the report says there were "2.") Statewide figures indicate about three percent of all students don't finish high school.

PLAINVIEW GRADUATES RECEIVING REGENTS DIPLOMAS: 

83%

Some specifics amid the myriad figures offered by the state illustrate the overall Plainview success story:

• Of the nearly 400 students tested on the Comprehensive English Regents exam, the percentage of students scoring at or above 65 was 98 percent. Nearly 70 percent scored over an 85. By comparison, 83 percent of students statewide scored over 65, and only 35 percent topped a scored of 85.
• In the integrated algebra regents, 269 students took the test and 98 percent of them scored over 65. The state average for those scoring over 65 is 72 percent. In U.S. History and Government, 98 percent of the Plainview kids scored above 65; statewide, the average is 70 percent in the same category, state figures show.
• The state issued figures for the Trigonometry Regents for the first time this week. In Plainview, 97 percent of the 291 students who took the exam got over 65; 60 percent scored over 85. Statewide: it was 65 percent scoring over 65 and 27 percent achieving an 85 or better.
• All of Plainview's teacher's district wide are considered "highly qualified," with over 70 percent holding Master’s or Doctorate degrees. Virtually all of Plainview's students reported planning to continue their education after high school; 98 percent said they would attend college.

Similar numbers outpacing the state averages are found throughout the state's report card. 

From Superintendent Dempsey's point of view, the community should take a big chunk of the credit:

"We have a very supportive community and parents who are very positive in their support of education in Plainview," Dempsey said. "We have very few kids fall through the cracks."

Plainview's numbers have not significantly changed from year-to-year, a review of the Education Department's report shows.