Seasonal testing  provides  insight for school district

Assessment for reading and math show intervention might be necessary for some grades falling behind in spring tests.

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By Marie Rossiter, Staff Writer Updated 8:29 AM Thursday, July 1, 2010

MIDDLETOWN — Middletown City Schools’ latest benchmark assessments offer conflicting data about student performance in reading and math for the 2009-10 academic year, according to Betsy Carter, the district's director of learning.

During a presentation at the Monday, June 28, Board of Education business meeting, Carter outlined elementary and secondary student progress from a series of three tests given during the fall, winter and spring to determine if students’ abilities are where they should be for each time of year.

“Overall, I think we see that some progress is being made across the district, particularly in reading, since that has been a focus for the past few years,” Carter said. “In math, we have farther to go.”

Across kindergarten through 12 grades, the reading and math tests show overall improvement in both subject areas throughout the year. However, Carter said the big challenge comes from individual grade levels (particularly one, eight and 10) with sliding performances as the year progresses.

The most drastic statistic in the reading benchmark results are in first grade, where students began the year with 78 percent — hitting the reading skills target — but ended with only 58 percent of students hitting the mark by the spring.

“The gap of what students learn here is huge,” explained Carter. “They go from learning the letters in kindergarten to the sounds (the letters) make and how to put them together. It’s a lot for them to retain. But these numbers show we need to find ways to intervene more effectively.”

Carter said these benchmark results will be compared with state-released results from the Ohio Achievement Assessments and the Ohio Graduation Tests that will come later this summer. These results will then be analyzed and taken back to each building’s improvement team to determine how to change classroom instruction.

The full report on the benchmark results can be found on the district’s website www.middletowncityschools.com in the Board of Education section under BoardDocs.

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2551 or mrossiter@coxohio.com.

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