A steady stream of teachers have been dropping by the office of Dorothy Welch in the White Hall School District Administration Building for more than a week and Welch said she was impressed by their interest.
The teachers drove to the administration offices at 1020 W. Holland Ave. to learn the results of Benchmark tests administered to their classes in April. Some reported to their respective schools to obtain test scores.
Welch, assistant superintendent for curriculum, instruction and technology, noted that the teachers are on summer vacation. She calls it the “it” factor – good teachers who stay involved even while on vacation.
Welch acknowledged she was “very pleased” with the test scores.a
District-wide, every grade level from third- through eighth-grade reflected academic gains.
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She said the test results for the End-of-Course exams administered to older students may be available this week or next.
An analysis of Benchmark test scores from 2005 through April indicated steady gains in the percentage of students testing proficient or advanced in literacy and math. With the growth in proficient and advanced scores, the percentage of students testing basic and below basic fell.
District-wide percentages of students testing proficient or advanced this year compare to 2005 test results:
– Third grade math, 50 percent in 2005 and 91 percent this year; 77 percent in literacy, up 26 percentage points over seven years;
– Fourth grade math, the 24 percent results in 2005 more than tripled to 88 percent this year; literacy scores almost doubled from 45 percent in 2005 to 87 percent in April;
– Fifth grade math scores rose from 33 percent seven years ago to 85 percent this year, while literacy test scores rose from 49 to 84 percent in April;
– Sixth grade math scores more than doubled, climbing from 43 percent to 87 percent, and literacy scores were up from 58 percent to 85 percent this year;
– Seven grade math scores more than doubled, jumping from 36 percent in 2005 to 81 percent in April; literacy scores rose by 20 percent, from 56 seven years ago to 76 this year; and
– Eighth grade math test scores rose from 40 to 69 percent this year, with the percentage of students testing proficient or advanced in literacy rising from 40 to 69 percent.
Welch said teachers are furnished breakdowns on their students testing below basic, basic, proficient and advanced.
Students will continue to take Benchmark exams in the spring and other tests to evaluate their progress, Welch said, even though the state has received a waiver from most regulations involving the federal No Child Left Behind law of 2001.