BCSD: Assessments show sizable gains in ELA and Math

By JEFF MORRIS 

A report shows students in the Bedford Central School District’s third through eighth grades continue to perform above the state average in math and science, and showed evidence of a dramatic rise in ELA proficiency.

Amy Fishkin, the district’s assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, gave her fourth annual student achievement report presentation at the Board of Education’s Feb. 25 meeting. 

The report is an update based on results of state assessments that were conducted in the spring of 2025, so it is not representative of the current school year, but did reveal long-term performance trends.

A demographic breakdown provided by Fishkin noted that 33% of BCSD students are classified as economically disadvantaged, which puts the district in the 25th percentile rank in the state, meaning 75% of districts in the state have a higher percentage of students from low income homes. 

“While we are lower than regional neighbors like Ossining and Port Chester, we do serve a significant population that does require targeted support,” Fishkin said.

Some 18% of BCSD students are classified with disabilities, which Fishkin said is within the average range for the state and is comparable to many districts in the region. However, with 17.8% of students defined as English Language Learners, BCSD ranks at 92.6% across the state. 

“That’s a high percentage,” said Fishkin, “defining a characteristic of our district compared to others in the region. Our instructional models must continue to evolve to support this large and vibrant segment of our community.”

In English Language Arts, Bedford students in grades three to eight performed above the state average in every grade, with the highest numbers scoring as “proficient” at 68% in grade five, and 66% in grade four. The average proficiency was 62%, against a state average of 53%.

Comparisons with the Lower Hudson region, comprising 98,706 students across 59 districts, were somewhat less positive for ELA in 2025 than they were in 2024. While 2024 scores outpaced the region by between 5% and 13% in every grade, in 2025 scores were 2% higher than the region for grade eight, and 4% higher for grades four, five and seven, while grade three ELA scores were 1% below the regional average, and grade six was 4% below the region.

On the other hand, Fishkin pointed out that ELA scores in the two highest proficiency levels have remained above 50% since 2019, and rose to 61.5% in 2025 — a 6.5% jump in one year. 

“We can possibly attribute this positive trend, that happens to coincide with the only thing that changed, which was everything we did in ELA in the past year: our change in ELA curriculum, implemented in all five elementary schools,” Fishkin said.

Looking further back, Fishkin noted ELA proficiency has risen from 46% in 2013 to 62% in 2025. She said there were fluctuations following a new baseline exam in 2017, but the new upward trajectory suggests the effectiveness of new curriculum and instructional strategies and represents “the highest proficiency rate we’ve seen in Bedford in over 10 years.”

Proficiency rates in grades three, four and five showed strong growth across the elementary schools, including large gains at Mount Kisco Elementary, despite that school having lower scores than the others. Fishkin pointed out that MKES has the highest percentage of ELL students.

As with ELA, math proficiency in grades three to eight showed a significant jump, going from 50% in 2022, to 60% in 2023, 66% in 2024, and 70% in 2025. Fishkin said low math scores in 2022 were a national trend, following the COVID-19 pandemic, as “math actually took a heavier hit than ELA during the pandemic, due to the linear trajectory of this content area.” But the noticeable jump since 2023, she said, is evidence of the effectiveness of the Bridges curriculum, which was initially implemented that year; a 20 percentage point gain in math scores since its implementation. Fishkin showed equally strong improvements in math proficiency when the middle school levels were broken out.

Other evaluations

The grade five science exam was new two years ago, so there is less baseline data to go by. Nonetheless, Fishkin said it showed an increase in level 3 and 4 proficiency, from 49% in 2024 to 56% in 2025, and a drop in those scoring only level 1 proficiency, from 13% in 2024 to 7% in 2025. 

Students in grades 9-12 showed proficiency above the state averages on multiple regents exams. On AP exams, students have shown a steady 88% passing rate over the past three years, and in 2025, 360 of 401 students taking AP exams achieved a score of 3 or higher. They comprise 89.78% of total AP students, the highest percentage scoring at that level in the last five years. The highest proficiency mean scores of 4 or higher were in biology, calculus BC, chemistry, and world history.

Fishkin summarized the highlights of her report, saying grades three to eight continue to perform above the state average in ELA, math and science. “We saw the highest growth in ELA proficiency in the last five years, and our math results are continuing to climb steadily,” she said. “With our 94% five-year graduation rate and strong AP successes, there’s a lot to celebrate in our student achievement report this year.”

Next steps cited by Fishkin include sustaining the achievement gains that have been made, while continuing to support those struggling to reach proficiency; examining results on the newer science exams and supporting continued improvements; analyzing grade six to eight ELA and math curriculum, with a math pilot currently underway; and looking closely at new state graduation measures to ensure courses, curriculum and instruction align with state requirements.

Board members expressed satisfaction with ELA scores validating the effort and investment made in implementing the new curriculum. The only question was about below average results seen in grade six. Fishkin said it was hard to pinpoint why that was occurring, citing a couple of possibilities, but that they had noted the trend and were continuing to investigate.