Published: October 08, 2008 11:01 am         

Attala schools’ scores have bright spots; Principals working to improve test scores in the coming year

“We have some bright spots,” Attala County School District Superintendent Larry Stevens said of the state test results during the school board meeting Monday night.

The Mississippi Curriculum Test, Second Edition (MCT2), which was designed to assess students’ mastery of this more rigorous content, was first administered to students in the spring.

All the schools in the district meet the Average Yearly Progress (AYP) and some test areas were above the state average.

Almost 68 percent of Ethel High School students tested in Algebra I were proficient or advanced in the subject area. The state average was 58 percent.

“We need to improve in all areas,” Stevens said. “Teachers need to take these test scores and utilize them.”

To Stevens, the key to improving test scores comes from hard work in the classroom.

“You need to be sure you are teaching the right curriculum,” Stevens said. “These tests were designed to measure how well teachers have taught and how well students have learned.”

EHS Principal Roger Hill said the key to improving test scores begins with having a higher standard in the classroom and making sure elementary students master the fundamental skill of reading.

Each school is equipped with computer programs that aid in preparing students for state testing and all schools are using the programs.

“We need more computers to improve test scores,” Katie Hughes Jamison, first-year principal at McAdams High School, said.

MHS received low percentages in the proficient or advances when compared to the state’s averages.

“We expect to be Level 5,” Jamison said. “The test scores are going to improve. This is unacceptable.”

The proficient or advanced percentage at McAdams is as follows: Algebra I, 35.6; Biology I, 21.8; English II, 15.5; and U.S. History, 58.6.

At Ethel, the proficient or advanced percentage is Algebra I, 67.7; Biology I, 60.6; English II, 51.3; and U.S. History, 64.0.

At the high school level in the subject tested area (SATP) the percentage of those passing were: at Ethel, Algebra I, 96.8, Biology I, 90.9, English II (multiple choice), 62.2, U.S. History, 88, and English II (writing) 100 and at McAdams, Algebra I, 48.9, Biology I, 52.2, English II (multiple choice), 35.6, U.S. History, 93.1, and English II (writing) 87.

The students in grades 3-8 tested in language arts and mathematics.

All were below the state averages in the proficient or advance percentile except for the following:

Language arts – Long Creek sixth grade, McAdams seventh grade and Ethel eight grade.

– Mathematics: Long Creek sixth grade and Ethel seventh and eighth grades.

“We feel that low expectations have hindered the progress of our students,” Steven said. “The development of Mississippi’s new achievement tests is based upon this premise. We believe that the performance of our students will rise to meet these higher expectations.”

“Meeting higher expectations must be a cooperative role of the home, school and community,” Stevens said.

Level ratings will not be announced this year.

For complete test scores, go online at http://orsap.mde.k12.ms.us:8080/MAARS/indexProcessor.jsp