Too many Long Island students left behind

The latest batch of test scores from our public schools was released this week, and it would be easy to get lost in the details. That's not where our attention needs to be.

That Long Island students picked up 2 percentage points of competence in math and dropped 2 points in English doesn't mean much, particularly since the English tests changed significantly. The most important truths in these results don't change much from year to year.

Long Island generally has good schools, or at least high-testing students, exceeding the state average by more than 10 percentage points in both math and English. But within that, the results are shockingly disparate.

The best districts here go far beyond good. Jericho, Manhasset and Syosset, for instance, all saw more than 80 percent of eighth-graders test proficient or above on English language arts and more than 90 percent proficient in math.

But some districts are dismal. In Hempstead, Roosevelt, Central Islip and Wyandanch, fewer than 20 percent of eighth-graders are proficient in English language arts, while fewer than 30 percent make the mark in math.

This achievement gap will lead to a tremendous outcome gap. Far too many students in these failing districts will grow into unskilled, impoverished and failing adults.

And that will cost us all, even those of us in the stellar districts, dearly.