Roosevelt Island's fourth-graders scored well in last spring's State math test, with 76% exceeding standards. Eighth-graders didn't do as well: Only 40% exceeded the State standard.

"We're thrilled with the progress of our fourth-graders," PS/IS 217 Principal Sherry Gregory said on Tuesday. "The children are consistently showing their growth from year to year, as a group and as individuals. If you compare them to where they started as third-graders, their gains were even more significant."

PS 217 has 45 fourth-graders this year, about the same as last year. Last year 42 took the test, and none scored in the lowest (level 1) category; 24% scored at level 2, which is described as "not having full mastery of the standards." The rest exceeded State standards - 55% at level 3, 21% at level 4.

Discussing the 8th-grade scores, Gregory said IS 217 took in a significant number of "No Child Left Behind" students last year. They were transferred from poor-performing schools as part of Mayor Bloomberg's program to fill enrollment gaps at performing schools with students from non-performing schools. Because the test scores compare one year's crop of students with the previous year's group at any given grade level, Gregory says it's more meaningful to look at individual progress. "If you compare the kids with where they were when they came to us in September, they progressed well - we showed significant progress," Gregory said. "I prefer to look at the individual children and how they progressed. If you look at the general-ed population, we actually had 51% score at level 3 or level 4, above grade level."

Last year, the Island school had 64 8th-graders, including 12 special-ed students; this year, there are 50, with 5 special-ed students.

"We intend to keep up the good work," Gregory told The WIRE.