WKCE Results Show Some Positive Signs
Wisconsin’s 8th- and 10th-graders improved in
most subjects on the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examinations (WKCE),
while 4th-graders held steady. But the test scores released Tuesday
(May 24, 2005) continue to reflect societal gaps in the state.
The WKCE exams were administered in November of 2004. Among 8th- and
10th-graders, those scoring proficient and advanced in reading were
up 6 and 5 percentage points respectively from the year before. The
number of 10th-grade students scoring proficient or advanced in math
was up 3 percentage points; 8th grade jumped 8 percentage points in
math from the previous year. Reading and math results for African-American
and Hispanic students in grades 8 and 10 also were up and showed a slight
closing of the achievement gap. However, the percentage of African-American
and Hispanic 4th-graders scoring proficient and advanced was down for
most subjects from last year to a level that is about the same as two
years ago. Scores in other subjects across all grades were stable.
WEAC President Stan Johnson said the lagging scores of economically
disadvantaged students demonstrate the need for the state to support
4-year-old kindergarten programs and small class sizes. Governor Jim
Doyle has proposed increased funding for 4-year-old kindergarten and
the Student Achievement Guarantee in Education (SAGE) class-size reduction
program in his budget, but both are threatened by the Legislature as
it debates the budget.
“We know what works in Wisconsin, and it is great teachers and
staff, 4-year-old kindergarten, and SAGE,” Johnson said. “Governor
Doyle has stood up in another tough budget year and made education a
top priority, and now the Legislature has to do the same.”
Recent research shows that giving students a good start in the earliest
grades has long-term implications for academic achievement, graduation
from high school, and future employability, especially for economically
disadvantaged children.
Approximately 197,000 students in grades 4, 8, and 10 took statewide
tests in reading, language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies.
This was the third year of fall testing of multiple choice and short
answer tests in the five WKCE subjects, and the third year for administration
of Wisconsin alternate assessments for students with disabilities and
limited English proficiency. Participation in statewide testing was
100% for all students at grade 4, and 99% of all enrolled students in
8th and 10th grade. Last year’s participation rates for all students
ranged from 98% to 100%.
In addition to testing higher percentages of students, public schools
are also testing an increasing percentage of children who come from
economically disadvantaged families. At 4th grade, 33% of tested students
qualified for free or reduced-price school lunch for the 2004-05 school
year; 29% of 8th-graders and 22% of 10th-grade test-takers were from
economically disadvantaged families. In reading, the gap in the percentage
of students scoring proficient and advanced between economically disadvantaged
students and their non-disadvantaged peers is 20 percentage points at
grade 4, 24 percentage points at grade 8, and 25 percentage points at
grade 10.
DPI news release with tables
Posted May 25, 2005