Editor’s Note: This is the last in a series of four articles about the Benchmark exams at area school districts.
Watson Chapel School District’s third graders scored proficient or advanced on literacy and math Benchmark exams.
Test results for April 2012 Arkansas Augmented Benchmark Examinations for students in grades three through eight were released earlier this month. The four Jefferson County school districts had varying degrees of success, with points of pride and areas in need of improvement for each of them.
Below are the results from the Watson Chapel School District for 2012 with the 2011 scores included for comparative purposes.
The scaled scoring system used for the tests includes a range of possible scores in categories of below basic, basic, proficient and advanced. Each test for each grade has a different scale range.
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Watson Chapel
The third grade in the Watson Chapel school district is located at L.L. Owen Elementary.
Grades four, five and six are located at Coleman Elementary.
Grades seven and eight are located at Watson Chapel Junior High.
Watson Chapel assistant superintendent for instruction Brenda Melton is proud of improvements in student test scores for 2012 versus 2011.
“The scores this year are much better,” Melton said. “All of our schools are off school improvement status except the high school. The test scores have come up. This is the result of a lot of hard work by our principals and teachers. They have worked very hard to raise test scores. You must have dedication and must start with the lower grades to ensure that the culture of success builds through the upper grades.”
Third grade literacy
Scale ranges: below basic, 0-329; basic, 330-499; proficient, 500-653; advanced, 654 and above.
The scaled scores for third grade literacy include L.L. Owen, 602 for 2012 and 568 for 2011.
Third grade math
Scale ranges: below basic, 0-408; basic, 409-499; proficient, 500-585; advanced, 586 and above.
The scaled scores for third grade math include L.L. Owen, 589.7 for 2012 and 557.5 for 2011.
Fourth grade literacy
Scale ranges: below basic, 0-353; basic, 354-558; proficient, 559-747; advanced, 748 and above.
The scaled scores for fourth grade literacy include Coleman, 648 for 2012 and 608 for 2011.
Fourth grade math
Scale ranges: below basic, 0-494; basic, 495-558; proficient, 559-639; advanced, 640 and above.
The scaled scores for fourth grade math include Coleman, 602 for 2012 and 598 for 2011.
Fifth grade literacy
Scale ranges: below basic, 0-381; basic, 382-603; proficient, 604-798; advanced, 799 and above.
The scaled scores for fifth grade literacy include Coleman, 677.3 for 2012 and 632 for 2011.
Fifth grade math
Scale ranges: below basic, 0-543; basic, 544-603; proficient, 604-696; advanced, 697 and above.
The scaled scores for fifth grade math include Coleman, 608 for 2012 and 613 for 2011.
Sixth grade literacy
Scale ranges: below basic, 0-416; basic 417-640; proficient, 641-822; advanced, 823 and above.
The scaled scores for sixth grade literacy include Coleman, 640 for 2012 and 674 for 2011.
Sixth grade math
Scale ranges: below basic, 0-568; basic, 569-640; proficient, 641-721; advanced, 722 and above.
The scaled scores for sixth grade math include Coleman, 652.5 for 2012 and 686 for 2011.
Seventh grade literacy
Scale ranges: below basic, 0-425; basic, 426-672; proficient, 673-866; advanced, 867 and above.
The scaled scores for seventh grade literacy include Watson Chapel Junior High, 773 for 2012 and 673 for 2011.
Seventh grade math
Scale ranges: below basic, 0-621; basic, 622-672; proficient, 673-763; advanced, 764 and above.
The scaled scores for seventh grade math include Watson Chapel Junior High, 682 for 2012 and 673 for 2011.
Eighth grade literacy
Scale ranges: below basic, 0-506; basic, 507-699; proficient, 700-913; advanced, 914 and above.
The scaled scores for eighth grade literacy include Watson Chapel Junior High, 797 for 2012 and 758 for 2011.
Eighth grade math
Scale ranges: below basic, 0-654; basic, 655-699; proficient, 700-801; advanced, 802 and above.
The scaled scores for eighth grade math include Watson Chapel Junior High, 692 for 2012 and 665 for 2011.