How Greene County students performed on NYS tests
Published on:
January 19, 2026
Article by:
GREENE COUNTY―New York State Education Department (NYSED) results of the 2024-25 assessments, including Grades 3–8 English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics, show overall statewide improvement from a year earlier with the same holding true for most districts in Greene County.
Across New York, proficiency ratings in ELA increased from 46% to 53% and in math from 54% to 57%. NYSED officials said that while the data can provide context to review prior years' results to identify trends, “the purpose of annual assessments is not to look backward, but to provide guidance for future learning.”
Parents have the right to opt their children out of the assessments and statewide an estimated 84% of students in grades 3-8 were tested.
At Cairo-Durham, the district touted what it called “significant gains” over multiple past years.
Grade 4 Mathematics proficiency increased from 44% in 2022–23 to 82% in 2024–25, nearly doubling in just three years. Grade 5 Mathematics proficiency rose from 20% in 2018–19 to 65% in 2024–25. Grade 8 Mathematics proficiency shot up from 12% in 2023–24 to 43% in 2024–25.
District and school administrators attribute the improvements to the implementation of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). Cairo-Durham educators meet weekly to identify essential standards, analyze student learning data, and collaboratively adapt instruction to meet student needs.
“For years, our teachers have committed themselves to being collaborative, focusing on learning, and tracking student results,” said Christopher Stein, Cairo-Durham Elementary School principal.
“By ensuring high-quality instruction for all of our students, they are now performing at higher levels than ever before. As the building principal, I am very proud of the work of the teachers, and the achievement of our students,” Stein said.
Cairo-Durham’s Grade 5 English Language Arts emerged as the district’s most improved area since 2018–19, with proficiency increasing by 50 percentage points to 69%.
“These outstanding results are the product of focused instructional practices, regular assessment review, and strong collaboration among our grade five teachers,” said Gretchen Flubacher, a fifth grade teacher at Cairo-Durham.
“Most importantly, they reflect our students’ hard work and our educators’ commitment to high-quality and rigorous teaching every day,”Flubacher said.
“It’s incredible to see the hard, collaborative work of our teachers coming to fruition in the success of our students,” added Catherine Dodig, Cairo-Durham Middle/High School principal. “I’m so proud of both our instructional staff and our students for the noticeable progress that is being made.”
According to NYSED, standards were not lowered for the 2024-2025 assessments and scoring was not adjusted to inflate or deflate results.
Cut scores, scale scores, and performance levels remained consistent with established policies and were not manipulated. Standard procedures were implemented to ensure the rigor of the tests remained equivalent to previous years.
“Tests were not made easier or harder. Assessments are written, reviewed, and developed by New York State teachers and continue to follow established test-development protocols, including expert review, field testing, and psychometric validation,” NYSED stated.
Greene County districts saw the following average proficiency rating changes for grades 3-8 from 2023-2024 to 2024-2025:
Catskill ELA - 36% up from 29%
Catskill Math - 49% up from 42%
92% of students sat for the tests
Cairo-Durham ELA - 51% up from 46%
Cairo-Durham Math - 60% up from 51%
88% of students sat for the tests
Coxsackie-Athens ELA - 47% up from 35%
Coxsackie-Athens Math - 47% up from 39%
94% of students sat for the tests
Greenville ELA - 46% up from 39%
Greenville Math - 48% down from 53%
85% of students sat for the tests
Hunter-Tannersville ELA - 42% down from 43%
Hunter-Tannersville Math - 46% down from 52%
79% of students sat for the tests
Windham-Ashland-Jewett ELA - 57% up from 53%
Windham-Ashland-Jewett Math - 64% up from 62%
69% of students sat for the tests
