State student test results 'solid and stable'; poverty rates on the rise

Overall student performance on statewide assessments remained generally "solid and stable," while the number of students tested this year more than doubled, according a report released Tuesday (May 23, 2006) by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

Under the federal "No Child Left Behind" law, this was the first year in which students in 3rd, 5th, 6th and 7th grades were given statewide standardized tests in reading and math. Nearly every student in grades three through eight and in grade 10 took exams in reading and mathematics. Students in grades four, eight, and 10 also took exams in language arts, science, and social studies, as they had in previous years.

DPI said the percentage of students scoring proficient and advanced in grades four, eight, and 10 for the “all student” group was matched to student performance in previous years for federal NCLB accountability reporting. Results overall were generally "solid and stable." Fourth-grade reading held at 82% of students scoring proficient and advanced for three years. Results by subgroups varied but show some closing of the achievement gap in grades eight and 10, DPI said.

As a result of the expanded testing, Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts
Examinations-Criterion Referenced Tests (WKCE-CRTs) were administered in November 2005 to approximately 445,000 students compared to about 200,000 students tested in grades four, eight, and 10 in previous statewide testing prior to "No Child Left Behind" requirements.

One of the statistics emphasized by DPI is the increase in the percentage of students who are from economically disadvantaged families, a group that is traditionally more challenging to educate. At grade four, 33% of students were from economically disadvantaged families, up from 29% five years ago. In eighth grade, 30% of students were from economically disadvantaged families, up from 22% five years ago; and at 10th grade, 24% of students were from economically disadvantaged families, up from 15% five years ago.

Economically disadvantaged families are those whose children qualify for free or reduced-price school meals.

Achievement gaps, measured by the percentage of economically
disadvantaged students scoring proficient and advanced as compared to their peers, ranged from 12 to 32 points.

“The effects of poverty present challenges to students that often have them starting school behind their peers and can impair their learning while in school,” State Superintendent Elizabeth Burmaster said. “We can help offset those effects by supporting early learning opportunities through 4-year-old kindergarten and the Student Achievement Guarantee in Education (SAGE) program."

DPI report, with tables
Understanding your child's test results

Posted May 23, 2006