Scott City test scores are below Missouri average

The Scott City School District's scores from the 2015 Missouri Assessment Program fell below state averages this year, but the district's superintendent said programs are being implemented to help boost student skills and performance.

The test scores, released last month by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, are the first from an assessment given in the spring that was designed to gauge how well students are learning standards fully implemented for the first time during the last school year.

The new math and English standards are aligned with national Common Core guidelines for what students should learn in each grade, but students again will face a different test after lawmakers acted to block state money from going to the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium -- linked to Common Core -- and required the education department to develop a new, Missouri-based assessment.

The state will use a temporary test this year and implement the new standards and test in 2016-2017, meaning scores will not be comparable from year to year for state school districts.

Superintendent Brian Lee, who assumed the role in July, said it always is good to look at the district's results, even if the test has changed.

Results

Students can score at below basic, basic, proficient and advanced levels on the exams. But the state looks at the sum of the proficient and advanced percentages.

Overall, Scott City students scored 45.7 percent in English, 28.9 percent in math, 50.3 percent in science, and the district's highest passing rate was in social studies, at 62.5 percent.

At the state level, 59.7 percent of Missouri students scored proficient or advanced in English and about 45 percent passed the mathematics test, according to DESE. Nearly 57 percent passed science, and social studies had the highest passing rate, at 63.4 percent.

"Obviously, there are areas we need to improve on, and we understand that," Lee said. "And we're taking steps to make sure that we do improve in those areas. It gives us a good baseline -- where we are now, and where we need to be."

More than half Missouri's students in grades three through eight scored proficient in English, with a low of 55 percent of sixth-grade students testing at proficient and a high of about 59 percent in fifth grade.

A high of 52 percent of third-grade students were at least proficient in math. Scores dropped in the higher grades to about 28 percent of some eighth-grade students testing as proficient.

Elementary

At Scott City Elementary, 44.5 percent of third-graders and 30.2 percent of fourth-graders scored proficient or higher in English. About 33 percent of third-graders passed math, but only 12.7 percent of fourth-graders passed, with 46 percent scoring below basic, data show.

Lee said the elementary has instituted a Response to Intervention program that identifies students who aren't mastering objectives and helps them improve those skills. This semester's focus will be math.

"We'll be looking at those math skills, where the kids are and trying to meet the needs of each group," Lee said.

Middle school

Science had the highest passing rate for fifth-grade students at 41.4 percent, and math had the lowest rate at 32.9 percent. In English language arts, 38.5 percent of the students passed.

Sixth-grade students saw lower scores in math, with 18.7 percent scoring at least proficient and 54.2 percent scoring below basic. About 46 percent of sixth-graders passed English.

At the seventh-grade level, 54.3 percent of students passed English and 31.4 percent passed math.

Slightly more than 43 percent of eighth-grade students passed English, 29.4 percent passed math, and 35.3 percent scored proficient in science.

High school

At the high school, 56.1 percent of students passed English I and 64.9 percent passed English II.

The highest passing rate was in science, with 70.5 percent of students scoring proficient or higher, and the lowest rate was in math, with 34.8 percent of students scoring proficient.

Slightly more than 63 percent of students passed social studies.

A new program called ICU, or Intensive Care Unit, for students in grades five through 12 was implemented this year, Lee said.

"That lets us know when students are missing assignments, and they get another opportunity to make those up," he said "We hope it's going to help with grades and test scores, as well, because if a student misses skills on an assignment, then that gives them a chance to work on them and get those grades up and catch up on those skills."

Lee said he thinks this year's scores were affected by grade-level expectations being moved from one grade level to another.

"We're taking a look at that, because we want to be on the same page as the state, and we want to do as well as possible on these tests," he said.

Moving forward, Lee said, administrative teams are forming a plan to ensure teachers are covering the material each grade will be tested on this year.

"I try to make my decisions based on data," he said. "We're always looking at everything we can do to improve those scores and improve instruction."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

klamb@semissourian.com

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Pertinent address:

3000 Main St., Scott City, Mo.