From Judd Ashley, Stanton Superintendent of Schools

 

STANTON COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT DATA FOR 2004-2005

 

            School districts must report to the Iowa Department of Education the percentage of their students in fourth, eighth and eleventh grades who are proficient in reading, math and science. For the 2004-2005 school year, Stanton School students ranked consistently high in state expectations for school districts. The following figures show percentages of all Stanton students who were proficient or above compared to students across the state.

   READING                                            MATH

Grade Stanton                                                Grade  Stanton

Level    School             State                Level    School             State

   4       89.5%               76.7%                  4       89.5%               76.8%  

   8       85.19%             69.4%                  8       81.4%               72.2%

 11        83.4%               76.8%               11        75.0%               78.5%

                                                SCIENCE

Grade  Stanton

Level    School             State

   4       94.7%               N.A.

   8       85.1%               78%

 11        79.1%               79%

            The Iowa Department of Education requires districts to report student proficiency levels on “one valid and reliable district-wide assessment.” The basic definition for proficient is when a student scores at the 41st percentile or above on the district-wide assessment. Most public and private Iowa districts administer the Iowa Test of Basic Skills and the Iowa Test of Educational Development.

            Obviously, many different things affect student achievement. Research has shown that high quality teachers who administer high quality instruction is probably the single most important factor linked to student achievement. Effective teachers who instill the desire to learn, help students develop a positive self-image, are enthusiastic themselves about what they are teaching and welcome parents as partners in the education of the child usually generate very positive results.

            Additionally, the Iowa Department of Education requires schools to report a standard error of measurement, which is as follows:

A standard error of measurement (SEM) is an estimate of possible error associated with an individual student’s test score. The SEM can be described as a band of error. A test score is an estimate of a student’s true test performance; however, when the SEM is applied, it indicates that a reasonable chance exists that the student’s true score may be slightly higher or slightly lower than what is reported. For the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) and Iowa Test of Educational Development (ITED), the SEM’s are presented in ranges, indicating where the student’s true score would likely fall (see table below).

      READING COMPREHENSION             MATHEMATICS

 

Grade 4

Grade 8

Grade 11

Grade 4

Grade 8

Grade 11

41st Percentile

(Fall Testing)

27-55

31-51

28-56

26-58

26-55

28-56

41st Percentile

(Mid-year Testing)

27-53

31-51

30-53

26-56

27-55

27-55

41st Percentile

(Spring Testing)

30-53

31-51

30-53

28-56

28-54

26-55

90th Percentile

(Fall Testing)

81-96

82-95

83-94

80-96

81-96

83-94

90th Percentile

(Mid-year Testing)

81-96

84-95

83-94

79-97

82-95

83-91

90th Percentile

(Spring Testing)

80-95

83-95

84-94

79-97

83-96

83-95