Gordon-Rushville, Crawford Schools Work To Boost Test Scores

CHADRON - As schools around the area begin their second semester of the 2008-09 year, two are focusing on how to better reach their students and raise their testing scores. Gordon-Rushville and Crawford schools failed to meet federal adequate yearly progress (AYP) according to statewide results released in December.

Gordon-Rushville Superintendent Merrill Nelson said his district’s high school failed to meet federal standards in the 2006-07 year, and No Child Left Behind requires that once on the list, a school must stay there for two years.

The G-R results from 06-07 show only 44.48 percent of eleventh graders were proficient in reading. Nelson said the district immediately brought in a program to increase reading proficiency and has had great success. The 07-08 scores bear that out, as 89.27 percent of eleventh graders were proficient on those tests.

“The high school is headed in the right direction,” Nelson said.

However, on the 07-08 testing, the middle school failed to meet AYP for the first time.

“We were aware that there was all likelihood that we would fail to meet adequate yearly progress when we reported our scores,” Nelson said. With that in mind, the district didn’t wait for the results from the state before implementing new teaching modules. In 2006-07, the middle school (reported as grade eight, but tested as grades 6-8) showed 54.89 percent of the students as proficient in reading. In 07-08, that slipped to 46.88.

The G-R district saw a decrease in scores in only one other area between the two years. In 06-07, 98.04 percent of fourth graders were proficient in writing. In 07-08, 94 percent were proficient.

Statewide testing results for science in grades five, eight and eleven were released for the first time this year. Gordon-Rushville had 85.96 percent of fifth graders proficient, 60.94 percent of eighth graders and 44.68 percent of eleventh graders. On a state level, the averages in science were 85.87 for fifth grade, 89.07 for eighth grade and 86.37 for eleventh grade.

“I’ll be honest. We feel we need to improve all the way around. We need to get better in reading, math, science and language arts,” Nelson said. “But maybe that’s the way it should be. We should always be striving to get better.”

One advantage of NCLB, he added, is that it is easier to do that. More research has been conducted on various programs and their effectiveness. That makes it less of a trial-and-error situation to find programs that fit within a district and reach its students.

In Crawford, school officials saw a decrease in the number of students who were proficient in five testing areas. In reading, grade eight reading scores decreased from 76.19 to 73.68 while grade 11 scores decreased from 83.57 to 66.67. Those two grades also saw decreases in math, with grade eight sliding from 75 to 73.68 and grade 11 declining from 83.67 to 81.25. Eighth grade scores also saw a slight dip in writing, from 90.91 percent proficient to 89.47.

This is also Crawford’s second year on the federal list for not meeting AYP. New superintendent Dick Lesher said the school does have an improvement plan in place, focusing on reading and math.

“Math and reading have been two areas that need strengthening,” Lesher said. The district has implemented a new reading program throughout the elementary level, and started the Superintendent’s Math Club. That club is targeted at grades two to four, Lesher said. A monthly booklet is sent home with each student, and parents work with their children on math problems.

Lesher pointed out that in comparing results from year-to-year it is important to remember that the results apply to different classes of varying sizes and different abilities. Different assessment tools in place across the state also add to the difficulty in judging how a school is performing. Lesher has spent the last 20 years in Arizona, where a statewide test is used. Currently, Nebraska allows each district to develop its own assessments, though there is a push for a statewide test. The latter makes it easier to compare district-to-district, Lesher said.

“Whether that is good or bad is up to the individual,” he added. “But the way it is now it is difficult to make those comparisons.”

Marilyn Peterson, federal programs administrator with the Nebraska Department of Education, said there are negative and positive consequences for not meeting federal AYP. When a school is listed for failing to meet AYP the first year, it must offer its students “public school choice,” or the opportunity to attend another school within the district. Since there are no other schools in either Gordon-Rushville’s or Crawford’s district, that consequence is a moot one.

On the more positive side, however, is the eligibility for additional funds to design a school improvement plan. The state received a $2 million grant to help lagging school districts improve their scores.

In the case of Gordon-Rushville’s high school, which has been on the list for two years, their improved scores give the district breathing room on consequences. When a school fails to make progress in the second year, NCLB requires it to offer free tutoring. Since G-R high school improved over the 06-07 scores, they do not have to do that, Peterson said.

Federal standards require that schools with 30 or more students in any of nine groups meet the following benchmarks: Reading Grades 4 and 8 – 81 percent proficient; Reading Grade 11 – 83 percent; Math Grade 4 – 83 percent; Math Grade 8 – 79 percent; Math Grade 11 – 81 percent; Writing Grades 4 and 8 – 62 percent. The districts must also show a 95 percent participation rate in the assessments, meet an 83.97 percent graduation rate, and use assessments judged to be of a good, very good or exemplary quality.

The nine groups are All, American Indian/Alaskan Native, Asian or Pacific Islander, White not Hispanic, Black not Hispanic, Hispanic, Free and Reduced Lunch Eligible, Special Education, English Language Learners. In Gordon-Rushville, the American Indian/Alaskan Native group is listed as not meeting AYP in reading, while in Crawford students eligible for free and reduced lunches show as not meeting AYP in math.

Districts that do not have groups of 30 or more in any of those categories, must meet state accountability only. The proficiency requirements for the state are nearly identical, but the results are not broken into groups. Gordon-Rushville and Crawford both met state standards.

Hay Springs and Chadron are listed as meeting AYP and state accountability. Hay Springs did see declines in three testing areas, all at the fourth grade level. Reading scores went from 65.88 in 06-07 to 63.64 in 07-08; math declined from 87.50 to 63.64 and writing decreased from 94.12 to 70.00. Chadron saw backslides in only two areas. Grade eight reading took a negligible drop from 89.77 to 89.55, and grade eight writing dipped from 96.92 to 91.04. Sioux County’s results for all testing areas are masked. The state masks results when there are 10 or fewer students tested or when all students performed in the same category.

For a complete comparison of schools, see the chart accompanying this story in this week's print issue. Testing results for each school can also be found at www.nde.state.ne.us dating back to 2002. Click on the State of Schools Report link to search by district.

 

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