Showing improvement in some areas and a need for concern in others, students in the Archuleta School District 50 Joint showed mostly improvement in achievement scores for the last school year, according to a report presented by District Assistant Superintendent Linda Reed at Tuesday’s school board meeting.
Reporting the Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP) tallied from tests taken by students during the 2009-2010 school year, Reed said, “There’s some areas where we’re seeing some improvement,” and added that, “there will be a lot more information in September.”
Reed stated the information to be provided to the board next month will be a more detailed explanation of CSAP scores, along with “growth model” explanations — the metric determining academic progress across grade levels.
CSAPs are administered the students in grades 3 through 10 and measure performance in reading, writing and math. Science sections are added for 5th, 8th and 10th-graders.
The CSAP recognizes five categories for levels of achievement: Unsatisfactory, Partially Proficient, Proficient, Advanced and Proficient + Advanced.
Some critics and educators have condemned the test, saying that not only does the test inaccurately reflect student performance, but merely measures test-taking ability. Furthermore, those same critics have maintained that classrooms devote too much effort in preparation for the test, while forsaking badly needed instructional time.
All scores in this article refer to numbers scored Proficient + Advanced; averages discussed refer to the average of those Proficient + Advanced scores from previous years (but not including the last year tested).
Given the reported numbers, some CSAP results gave the district reason to celebrate. The best news was a significant improvement in the scores of 10th-graders in the district.
During the 2008-2009 school year, Archuleta County 10th-graders performed dismally, performing below state averages in three-of-four sections. This past year, not only did 10th-graders significantly outperform Colorado state averages, but, in all categories, scored higher than in any previous year. Tenth-graders showed improvements by 13 points in reading, 19 points in writing, an incredible 30 points in math and 23 points in science from the previous year’s testing — evidence that the district adequately addressed apparent problems with 10th-grade instruction from the previous year.
Likewise, 8th-graders performed higher in all categories from the previous year and exceeded average scores from previous years. Furthermore, math scores from last year were the highest recorded for Archuleta County 8th-graders.
Unfortunately, scores for 5th-, 7th- and 9th-graders showed declines from the previous year’s scores, in all categories. Indicating a real need for improvement, 3rd-graders registered their worst ever reading scores and almost 9 points below their average; last year’s scores dropped 8 points from the previous year. Fourth-grade math scores dropped 12 points from the previous year, 5 points below the average.
However, while scores from last year showed a decline from the previous year (in 15 out of 27 categories), overall, Archuleta County students exceeded averages from previous years’ scores in 22 out of 27 categories (with 3 scores flat relative to the averages). Sixth-, 8th-, 9th- and 10th-graders exceeded averages in all categories.
Compared to Colorado overall, the district fared well, with students scoring above state averages in 19 out of 27 categories and 10th-graders scoring a full 20 points above the state average for science scores. Unfortunately, 4th- and 7th-graders scored below state averages in all categories.
A caveat should be included in analyzing CSAP scores for the previous years: Numerous variables can determine CSAP outcomes including the number of English Language Learners (ELL) in a particular grade, as ELL students often have diminished comprehension due to the language barrier; numbers of at-risk or impoverished students; numbers of minority students; and numbers of special-needs students.
However, as a general measure of academic achievement, CSAP scores provide an interesting snapshot of the district’s overall performance. Furthermore, as Reed stated in her presentation, a more detailed explanation of the scores will be presented at the September board meeting (Tuesday, Sept. 14 at 6 p.m. in the Pagosa Springs Middle School library) along with Growth Model data.
Nonetheless, with most scores in the district exceeding state averages, initial reports of CSAP scores from the previous year indicate that Archuleta County schools are performing fairly well.
jim@pagosasun.com
