Friday, April 24, 2015 Vol. 90, No. 17
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THE PULSE OF THE PENINSULA
Troupe, station to do radio play
Gift of Life turns 40 years
G.N. South grad killed in crash
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Students opt not to sit for state exams
O n e - A c t s at S o u t h H i g h
Great Neck to release percentage of opt-outs after math exam in April BY B I LL SAN ANTONIO North Shore school district officials said students who recently opted out of the state assessment in English Language Arts reflect the concerns of parents and school administrators with a teacher evaluation system that relies heavily on student test scores and a fumbled rollout of the Common Core standards. About 15.7 percent of students eligible to take the exam in the East Williston, Herricks, Manhasset, Mineola, New Hyde Park-Garden City Park and Roslyn school districts refused to take the exam, according to figures obtained by Blank Slate Media, joining more than 65,000 students on Long Island and more than 100,000 throughout New York, according to various published reports. “What we need to see are substantive changes in the assessment
and teacher evaluation system that allow for local districts to play a more prominent role in what needs to be done in those areas. Right now, we’re working with a very top-down approach,” said Manhasset school Superintendent Charles Cardillo, whose district had 56 of 1,554 eligible students (3.6 percent) opt out of the exam. Of the North Shore districts that reported students opting out of the English-Language Arts assessment, Roslyn had the highest percentage — 32.5 percent — with 480 of the eligible 1,475 students choosing not to sit for the exam. Less than 20 percent of eligible Herricks students (228 of 1,771 eligible, 12.9 percent) and Mineola students (229 of 1,254 eligible, 18.3 percent) opted out of the exam, while 21.1 percent of the 810 East Williston students refused to take the assessment. “The New York State tests tell Continued on Page 67
Photo by Bill Cancellare
South High School will present its One-Act Festival of senior-directed plays at 7:30 p.m. on May 1, 2, 8 and 9. Student directors, kneeling from left: Shayna Fishkin, Samantha Klainberg and Rachel Coons. Standing, from left: Russell Katz, Christine Cimpian and Michelle Geffner.
Great Neck Chamber to celebrate 100 years B y A d a m L i d gett Even though it has been around for 100 years, the Great Neck Chamber of Commerce is still fighting to improve the business climate of downtown
Great Neck. “Simply, we are a union of merchants and our aim is to do whatever we can to improve commerce in Great Neck,” chamber President Hooshang Nematzadeh said.
Nematzadeh, president and CEO of Nemat Homes Inc. and a Village of Kings Point trustee, said there are many issues facing the chamber and Great Neck as a whole, includContinued on Page 53
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