Kosciusko and Attala County Schools improve in new state assessment
The Mississippi Department of Education released last week results from the Mississippi Assessment Program (MAP), a statewide assessment created in collaboration with Mississippi teachers.
MAP, which assesses student performance in English language arts and mathematics in grades 3-8, English II and Algebra I, measures students’ progress toward higher academic goals that equip them with the skills and knowledge that they need to succeed in jobs and college. During the 2014-15 school year Mississippi students took the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) test.
“The PARCC test was still a very high level test, but when we switched to MAP we noticed that the reading level was much more intense,” said Brian Weaver, Attala County Schools Superintendent.
“The rigor and the demand that was put on our students is critical to have the ability to be more analytical and processing,” said Gina Smith, Superintendent of Kosciusko School District. “Those are skills that we will have to start developing at younger ages to be able to be more innovative in their thinking and being more creative about their approach.”
Overall, students’ test scores in most school districts remained stable or improved from 2014-15 to 2015-16 as they transitioned from previous assessments to MAP assessments. Statewide, the percentage of students scoring in Level 1 – the lowest achievement level - dropped in mathematics and ELA while the students scoring in Level 5 – the advanced level – increased when comparing MAP results to test results from the 2014-15 school year.
Both Attala County and Kosciusko School Districts experienced significant increases in the percentage of student scores in Level 5. Attala County Schools saw a 3.4 percent increase of Level 5 students in English and doubled its percentage in math to 0.66 percent. Kosciusko School District increased its English Level 5 students by 4.13 percent and math by 5.24 percent.
“These scores reflect that we have teachers that are teaching and teaching the curriculum,” Smith added. “We are in that state to where we have teachers that know their content. Yes, they are concerned about the assessment, but they are more concerned that their students are prepared for the future. We showed growth and the big push now is if you are growing all of your students.”
The MAP results showed the following overall in mathematics among Kosciusko and Attala County Schools:
• 28.1% of all tested students scored Level 4 or higher.
• 5.9% of all tested students scored Level 5.
• Only 4.74% of all tested students scored Level 1.
In ELA:
• 37.9% of all tested students scored Level 4 or higher.
• 7.5% of all tested students scored Level 5.
• Only 7.5% of all tested students scored Level 1.
“We felt like we did pretty well as far as the percentage of passing students and that is what we are really focusing on,” Weaver added. “The goal of education is to be constantly moving kids forward. We concentrated a lot more on reading this year and it showed some in our scores. Our math struggled a little and we have to pull that up.”
“Teachers are focusing on instruction that meets the standards, and we’re seeing the results,” said Dr. Carey Wright, state superintendent of education. “I am proud of the hard work happening in classrooms across the state as teachers and administrators work to prepare students with the skills and knowledge they need for successful futures. The results identify where students are doing well and where they need additional support in order to meet grade-level expectations.”
The results of the MAP assessments are closer to the results on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The purpose is to raise the level of expectations for all students and provides parents a better picture of where their children are on their path to college or career.
See full results: http://reports.mde.k12.ms.us/report1/r2015-16.aspx
