I ncremental growth is good — if indeed it’s growth.
Test numbers for Pine Bluff School District students nudged north slightly, giving administrators a lukewarm moment of relief. We imagine some of them were thinking that, even if the numbers didn’t move up significantly, at least they didn’t go down.
Third graders improved from 1039 to 1040 in English language arts and saw a bit more respectable move in math from 1028 to 1034. Even with the bumps up, the scoring level puts the district at just under what is known as Level 2. At that benchmark, students are considered to have a basic understanding of subjects. Levels and 3 and 4, of course, are where the district would like to be, meaning students have a proficient understanding of the subjects or an advanced understanding, respectively.
There were other slight upticks, except for fifth grade where the number went down ever so slightly — 1040 to 1039.
The question is what these movements mean.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“We’re trying to track this to see if we’re really improving in the interim,” said Superintendent Jennifer Barbaree. “We’re not scoring as high in the areas we’d like, but we are showing growth in certain areas, for sure.”
More testing is around the corner, and there’s hope the district is ready.
“It’s coming a lot sooner than we thought it would get here,” said the superintendent, “but I am confident our teachers have been working and our students have been working, and I know we’ve had an opportunity to practice.”
At this point, it’s worth noting that it’s important for parents to get their children to school on testing days. That’s because a district has to test at least 95% of students or face an accreditation citation from the state. So rise and shine, young’uns!
Good luck to all concerned. We know a lot of work has gone into preparing these students for these days by a lot of dedicated educators. May they all ace what’s put before them.