Scores reveal math, science weakness in Perry County district

Although Perry County students didn’t surpass any state averages in the most recent round of Missouri Assessment Program testing, they continued making gains.

Linda Buerck, the district’s director of curriculum and instruction, said although English performance is just under the state average in District 32, mathematics remains an area for improvement.

“We’ve been closing the gap, slowly but surely,” she said.

Science also continues its journey upward.

“We did really, really well in eighth-grade (science) and (high-school) biology, (but) we just hit a bump in the road in fifth-grade science,” she said.

Last year, students were tested in English, math, science and social studies. They could score below basic, basic, proficient or advanced.

This is how District 32 students fared:

• In English, Perry County students achieved an average of 61.5 percent compared with 62.9 percent statewide. The average combines proficient and advanced scores.
• In math, local students were at 43.1 percent; students statewide were at 48.6 percent.
• In science, District 32 came out at 46 percent proficient/advanced; students elsewhere in the state came in at 52.1 percent.
• Social-studies testing yielded 51.3 percent locally and 63.3 percent statewide.

Because of the results, some changes are underway in the district in hopes certain disparities can be bridged in the next few years, Buerck said.

All seven teachers of fifth-grade science are going to undergo more professional-development training to ensure what they’re teaching is preparing students adequately.

“We’re going to work very closely with science teachers this year,” she said.

Buerck said the district also is looking into whether the lower grades prepare students enough to be successful in fifth-grade science. If not, that also will be adjusted.

With social studies, an adjustment is being made in the number of classes students take before they’re tested.

Previously, students took the government portion of the MAP test their sophomore year, after taking only two social-studies units. Now, they will be taking the government test their junior year after having taken American History I and II, along with government.

“Next year will be the real test of the new course offerings,” she said.

With math, students are in the third year of a new program that asks not only to solve problems, but explain how. Buerck said that helps critical-thinking skills by forcing them to think about why they used a certain strategy to arrive at an answer.

As for English, which is almost at the state average, about seven years of work went into helping students with the most challenges in reading.

“That was something good, because we put a lot of effort into communication arts,” she said.

ljones@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3652

Pertinent address:

326 College St., Perryville, Mo.