NORWICH – Norwich City School District principals presented to the board of education about test data trends at its meeting Wednesday night, noting that while the data generally shows steady increases in performance over recent years, New York State test data isn't a reliable means of tracking student progress.

Perry Browne Elementary School Principal Michelle Osterhoudt, Norwich Middle School Principal Scott Ryan, and Norwich High School Principal Kisten Giglio each presented state test performance data for the schools dating back to 2014.

Generally speaking, the data shows improved performance of NCSD students compared to years past and state averages, but Osterhoudt, Ryan, and Giglio each noted a number of variables that could invalidate the data, including opting out of exams, shifting from three days of testing to two days, shifting from old standards to common core, teacher changes, as well as other variables.

Osterhoudt said, "It's very difficult for us as educators to use any of this data to really figure out what's working and what's not working. So even though we've seen some gains, we're not sure what that's going to look like in 2021 as the test changes."