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Lack of students' test score growth a concern: Wolff
By Diane Vance/Gate City Staff Writer
The lack of growth in student standardized test scores from year to year is a concern, said Keokuk schools' Interim Superintendent Dr. Lora Wolff. She made her remarks Monday to the school board during a PowerPoint presentation about the district's adequate yearly progress as measured by standardized test scores.
The test scores are reported to the state and federal Departments of Education for measuring goals to meet the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
Schools across the nation were required to set a baseline of student test scores in 2001, then show increasing progress each year. The target year is 2014 when 100 percent of students should score proficient in reading, math and science.
In 2001, Keokuk and other schools were allowed to remove test scores that administrators determined where students didn't give any effort. Taking those “no tries” scores from the pool of data raised the average of test scores reported in 2001.
In 2002, all test scores had to be reported. Students in grades four, eight and 11 were the target groups, representing each level of schooling - elementary, middle school and high school.
One complaint educators have had throughout the decade is about tests given to special education and learning disability students. Special education students are required to take the standardized test for their chronological age.
For example, a special education student in eighth grade might be working at a fifth grade level of learning in class and making progress. However, at standardized test time, that student must take the Iowa Test of Basic Skills for eighth grade, thus being tested on material not yet taught.
A student with a reading disability can have assistance throughout the year by having someone read test questions to them. For the annual standardized test, those students cannot have anyone read the reading portion of the test to them. And all those test scores must be counted for the school.
“Our baseline of testing was set artificially high in 2001,” said Wolff. “2002 was the first year we did not pull the ‘no tries.'”
Keokuk has two schools on the state list of schools in need of assistance and two more on the watch list, as reported in Monday's Daily Gate City.
Keokuk High School's 2007-2008 standardized test scores keep it on the list for the fourth year in reading and the fifth year in math.
Keokuk Middle School is on the list for the fourth year in math but was removed from the schools in need of assistance list in reading.
Once on the list, it takes two consecutive years of making adequate yearly progress to be removed from the list.
Wells-Carey Elementary School and Keokuk's alternative high school are each on the watch list for math.
In last year's data, elementary scores for the first time included students in third, fourth and fifth grades. The pool of scores increased for each school.
In Keokuk, 468 elementary student scores were reported. Of 468 students, 261 are classified as low social economic status, according to guidelines to qualify for free or reduced lunch.
Of those 261, 153 low SES students tested proficient and 10 students showed growth in math, Wolff said. That is a 70.26 percent proficiency rate for math.
However, school administrators have not been told what the target proficiency rate is for this data for any subject or grade level. The state report comes back to schools showing percentages proficient and whether the school made adequate growth.
Of the district's 65 elementary special education students, 62 were present for test days; 22 tested proficient and eight more students showed growth. That is a 48.39 percent proficiency rate for Keokuk's special education elementary students in math. Separate data for Wells-Carey School was not presented.
Middle school subgroups miss in math, reading
All middle school grades, six, seven and eight, also were required to report standardized test scores for the first year.
Two subgroups at Keokuk Middle School, special education and African American students, did not meet adequate yearly progress in math. In special ed, 81 students were tested, 16 were proficient and seven students showed growth, for a 28.4 percent proficiency rate. Forty-seven African American middle school students were tested; 16 students were proficient and four students showed growth for a 42.55 percent proficiency rate in math.
In reading, three subgroups of students at KMS missed making adequate yearly progress.
Among low social economic status students, 61.43 percent showed proficiency in reading. Among special education students, 40.74 percent were proficient; and among African American students, 46.81 percent were proficient in reading.
All KHS students miss proficiency mark in math, reading
At the high school level, it is still only the 11th grade scores that were reported last year.
KHS students all missed adequate yearly progress in math and reading. Among last year's juniors, 61.59 percent were proficient in math on the Iowa Test of Educational Development standardized test.
“Not a lot of students showed growth,” said Wolff.
Board President Dr. Bill Davis said that 61.59 percent of the high school students were not meeting the bar set by math scores in 2001.
In reading, KHS students, this year's seniors, earned a 59.73 percent proficiency.
“We shouldn't let this drive how we measure achievement,” said Davis. “However, I'd say there is no one in this room who thinks these scores are adequate.”
New KHS Principal Michelle Lukavsky said students need a better motivation to take the tests and do well.
“The number of schools across the nation making the list grew exponentially,” said Wolff. “As we get closer to the 100 percent proficiency requirement, that will happen. We now need a plan to remove us from the list.”
She said Area Education Agencies will help school districts in need of assistance.
“Our building principals are finalizing their goals and will present their first steps at the October school board meeting,” said Wolff. “Now I have a better focus for my superintendent goals.”
In other business:
The board approved personnel actions to include teacher Danielle Vogel as sophomore class sponsor; accepted librarian Martha Marsot's resignation as club sponsor of Friends of Rachel; approved hiring summer sports coaches - teachers Merle Jones, head softball and program coordinator and Jerry Jerome, head softball coach at the middle school; and non-teachers Craig Davis and Zach Summers, high school baseball varsity assistants and Steve Worster, high school baseball, head coach.
The board approved Keokuk's three local banks and ISJIT, Des Moines, as depositories for school district funds not to exceed a maximum of $15 million held at each financial institution.
The test scores are reported to the state and federal Departments of Education for measuring goals to meet the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
Schools across the nation were required to set a baseline of student test scores in 2001, then show increasing progress each year. The target year is 2014 when 100 percent of students should score proficient in reading, math and science.
In 2001, Keokuk and other schools were allowed to remove test scores that administrators determined where students didn't give any effort. Taking those “no tries” scores from the pool of data raised the average of test scores reported in 2001.
In 2002, all test scores had to be reported. Students in grades four, eight and 11 were the target groups, representing each level of schooling - elementary, middle school and high school.
One complaint educators have had throughout the decade is about tests given to special education and learning disability students. Special education students are required to take the standardized test for their chronological age.
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A student with a reading disability can have assistance throughout the year by having someone read test questions to them. For the annual standardized test, those students cannot have anyone read the reading portion of the test to them. And all those test scores must be counted for the school.
“Our baseline of testing was set artificially high in 2001,” said Wolff. “2002 was the first year we did not pull the ‘no tries.'”
Keokuk has two schools on the state list of schools in need of assistance and two more on the watch list, as reported in Monday's Daily Gate City.
Keokuk High School's 2007-2008 standardized test scores keep it on the list for the fourth year in reading and the fifth year in math.
Keokuk Middle School is on the list for the fourth year in math but was removed from the schools in need of assistance list in reading.
Once on the list, it takes two consecutive years of making adequate yearly progress to be removed from the list.
Wells-Carey Elementary School and Keokuk's alternative high school are each on the watch list for math.
In last year's data, elementary scores for the first time included students in third, fourth and fifth grades. The pool of scores increased for each school.
In Keokuk, 468 elementary student scores were reported. Of 468 students, 261 are classified as low social economic status, according to guidelines to qualify for free or reduced lunch.
Of those 261, 153 low SES students tested proficient and 10 students showed growth in math, Wolff said. That is a 70.26 percent proficiency rate for math.
However, school administrators have not been told what the target proficiency rate is for this data for any subject or grade level. The state report comes back to schools showing percentages proficient and whether the school made adequate growth.
Of the district's 65 elementary special education students, 62 were present for test days; 22 tested proficient and eight more students showed growth. That is a 48.39 percent proficiency rate for Keokuk's special education elementary students in math. Separate data for Wells-Carey School was not presented.
Middle school subgroups miss in math, reading
All middle school grades, six, seven and eight, also were required to report standardized test scores for the first year.
Two subgroups at Keokuk Middle School, special education and African American students, did not meet adequate yearly progress in math. In special ed, 81 students were tested, 16 were proficient and seven students showed growth, for a 28.4 percent proficiency rate. Forty-seven African American middle school students were tested; 16 students were proficient and four students showed growth for a 42.55 percent proficiency rate in math.
In reading, three subgroups of students at KMS missed making adequate yearly progress.
Among low social economic status students, 61.43 percent showed proficiency in reading. Among special education students, 40.74 percent were proficient; and among African American students, 46.81 percent were proficient in reading.
All KHS students miss proficiency mark in math, reading
At the high school level, it is still only the 11th grade scores that were reported last year.
KHS students all missed adequate yearly progress in math and reading. Among last year's juniors, 61.59 percent were proficient in math on the Iowa Test of Educational Development standardized test.
“Not a lot of students showed growth,” said Wolff.
Board President Dr. Bill Davis said that 61.59 percent of the high school students were not meeting the bar set by math scores in 2001.
In reading, KHS students, this year's seniors, earned a 59.73 percent proficiency.
“We shouldn't let this drive how we measure achievement,” said Davis. “However, I'd say there is no one in this room who thinks these scores are adequate.”
New KHS Principal Michelle Lukavsky said students need a better motivation to take the tests and do well.
“The number of schools across the nation making the list grew exponentially,” said Wolff. “As we get closer to the 100 percent proficiency requirement, that will happen. We now need a plan to remove us from the list.”
She said Area Education Agencies will help school districts in need of assistance.
“Our building principals are finalizing their goals and will present their first steps at the October school board meeting,” said Wolff. “Now I have a better focus for my superintendent goals.”
In other business:
The board approved personnel actions to include teacher Danielle Vogel as sophomore class sponsor; accepted librarian Martha Marsot's resignation as club sponsor of Friends of Rachel; approved hiring summer sports coaches - teachers Merle Jones, head softball and program coordinator and Jerry Jerome, head softball coach at the middle school; and non-teachers Craig Davis and Zach Summers, high school baseball varsity assistants and Steve Worster, high school baseball, head coach.
The board approved Keokuk's three local banks and ISJIT, Des Moines, as depositories for school district funds not to exceed a maximum of $15 million held at each financial institution.
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Reader Comments
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of dailygate.com.
Once agian we See wrote on Sep 15, 2008 10:01 PM:
" Once agian we see the puplic of the Keokuk School systems has responded. Lets see about the test scores - Wrong!!
Principle Lukavsky you are right about motivation. We really don't want to hear how our kids are doing in school and how it can be improved. We care about a recreation event that a dozen or so kids participate in. Agian I respond to Mr. Dunek our gratuates are coming out gualified. WAL-MART, MCDONALDS, BURGER KING have a great work force to choose from. Get your kids through college and then our community leaders will have a workforce to work with to attrack new businesses. "
Principle Lukavsky you are right about motivation. We really don't want to hear how our kids are doing in school and how it can be improved. We care about a recreation event that a dozen or so kids participate in. Agian I respond to Mr. Dunek our gratuates are coming out gualified. WAL-MART, MCDONALDS, BURGER KING have a great work force to choose from. Get your kids through college and then our community leaders will have a workforce to work with to attrack new businesses. "
Keosippi wrote on Sep 15, 2008 6:48 PM:
" Just shows again that we have a "press release paper", our paper does nothing more than report exactly what is on the press releases and notes from the meetings, ZERO investigative reporting. If it is not given to them in the form of a press release, we hear nothing about it. They don't "go after" stories like a good newspaper does. "
Secret Meeting wrote on Sep 15, 2008 9:15 AM:
" I believe that "secret meeting" was held at the Elks. Not exactly going to keep it a secret if it was held there. I doubt they were trying to do it secretly, otherwise they would have had it at one of their houses. I heard they were helping Worster with his defense for the hearing. It appears they knew what they were doing and got the job done. I believe Goughnor went into the hearing with Worster. "
barry morse wrote on Sep 14, 2008 4:51 PM:
" THIS WORKS FROM SPECIAL ED TO POST GRAD, ED REHAB AND MORE
www.TheEasyEssay.comis a free automated information organization program. It has been taught to 7 year olds, LD students, Special Education classes, in high schools or for home schooling, for basic expository writing, as prep for the SAT, FCAT and the ACT, as well as a college class and for post graduate work. As an aid in research, the site is linked to Google®. It has been used for interoffice communications, speech writing, and business, technical and scientific reports. The program can even be used for educational rehabilitation purposes. "
www.TheEasyEssay.comis a free automated information organization program. It has been taught to 7 year olds, LD students, Special Education classes, in high schools or for home schooling, for basic expository writing, as prep for the SAT, FCAT and the ACT, as well as a college class and for post graduate work. As an aid in research, the site is linked to Google®. It has been used for interoffice communications, speech writing, and business, technical and scientific reports. The program can even be used for educational rehabilitation purposes. "
Taylor Made wrote on Sep 14, 2008 2:06 PM:
" Well, there was a secret meeting between Worster, Sisk and former teacher/coach Goughner last month, that may have something to do with it. "
Investigative Reporting needed wrote on Sep 12, 2008 5:58 PM:
" We all know that this is going to get the comment board going again.....why not do a little investigating and get back to us with a story that answers the questions about why this summer we heard the baseball coach was fired on the advice of the AD, to only be rehired this month. I think it would be a great story that would give answers of facts (I hope) rather than the rumors that will surely follow. I think the newspaper can have a great hand in helping the community relations with the school system by doing such a story....instead of letting this forum create more fuel for the fire. Just a thought. "
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upnorthq.com wrote on Sep 25, 2008 12:04 AM: