Students’ test scores get better despite economy

Number of children in need continues to rise in area districts.

Between the 2002-03 and 2010-11 school years, performance index scores at Huber Heights increased by 3 percent, despite a 132 percent increase in the number of economically disadvantaged students.

Jim Witmer/Staff photo Between the 2002-03 and 2010-11 school years, performance index scores at Huber Heights increased by 3 percent, despite a 132 percent increase in the number of economically disadvantaged students.

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By Jill Kelley, Staff Writer Updated 11:28 AM Monday, November 21, 2011

Area school districts have experienced a dramatic rise in the number of economically disadvantaged students in the past decade. But at the same time, test scores are improving.

The Dayton Daily News analyzed recent Ohio Department of Education data and reports from local school districts with 5,000 or more students, comparing rates of disadvantaged students to performance index scores between the 2002-03 and 2010-11 school years.

The study — which included Beavercreek, Centerville, Dayton, Huber Heights, Kettering, Lebanon, Miamisburg, Northmont and Springboro — revealed these nine large districts saw an average increase of 112 percent of kids in need. At the same time, they recorded an average jump in performance index of more than 9 percent.

A district’s performance index, as defined by the ODE, reflects the achievement of every student in the district and is used to illustrate trends in achievement. An “economically disadvantaged” student is defined as one who qualifies for free or reduced lunch.

Many districts say they have continued to succeed as student need has increased — a feat that challenges years of research tying poor test scores to lower family income — by data generated by state assessments to ascertain and address needs of students.

The work of these districts also mirrors a statewide trend, according to Hayden Shelby of the Children’s Defense Fund — Ohio.

“We measure mostly fourth-grade achievement tests,” Shelby said, “and there has been a dramatic improvement in scores and stark rises in poverty across all counties in Ohio.”

Using data

Dr. Charlotte Harris, dean of the College of Education and Human Services at Wright State University, said it is no secret that school districts are placing increasing emphasis on state tests.

“Everybody’s focused on the need to improve student achievement, and a lot of what is reported is based on the standardized test,” Harris said. “I am a little worried about teaching to the test; they need to be teaching to the whole child.”

Tracey Nissen, a guidance counselor at John F. Kennedy Elementary School in Kettering, said data available to school districts due to advanced technology allows teachers and staff to gather information and identify how individual students are performing.

This information can pinpoint gaps in learning and allow educators to more quickly address issues.

“We are constantly checking on them to see where we are,” Nissen said. “We want to perform well on state testing ... but we also need to use this data to make sure we are meeting (students’) needs all year long.”

Kettering City Schools has seen its percentage of students in need more than double in eight years. More than 38 percent of the district’s students are classified as disadvantaged, the area’s third-highest total, behind only Dayton and Huber Heights.

At the same time, Kettering recorded the second-largest percentage increase in achievement (12 percent), going from 90.5 points to 102.1 points on its performance index.

Northmont City Schools is at the fulcrum of this data, as its number of economically disadvantaged kids rose 116 percent in the past eight years (slightly more than the average), and its scores rose 8 percent (slightly less than the average), to reach 102.3 points.

However, Northmont’s academic increase was equal to that of Lebanon and Centerville, which serve far fewer disadvantaged kids.

Becky Davis, who teaches eighth-grade language arts at Northmont Middle School, said economic need often means a student has fewer resources with which to complete school work.

She said teachers, who also understand this can be a sensitive subject, will quietly buy kids items such as paper, binders and folders.

Nissen added that purchases can extend beyond school supplies.

“We are making sure that kids who need glasses get glasses, (we address) hearing issues, (buy) food — those things really help the kids become better learners,” Nissen said.

Funding helps

The largest area district, Dayton Public Schools, went from 64.7 percent of students deemed economically disadvantaged eight years ago to a steep 78 percent last year, according to district data.

At the same time, the district’s performance index rose a stellar 21 percent, up to 75.9 points.

Jill Moberley, spokeswoman for DPS, said her district has benefited from federal and state grants aimed at helping struggling schools and districts.

Huber Heights City Schools was second to Dayton in percentage of kids in need at 39.5 percent last year, and tied Miamisburg City Schools with the lowest increase in performance index at 3 percent.

“Economic conditions impact the amount of preparation, the amount of time kids have to do homework at home and whether they have guidance from parents,” Harris said.

Bruce Pohlmeyer, principal at Wright Brothers Elementary School in Huber, said parent support is where his economically disadvantaged students struggle.

“We are trying to make the kids responsible, because the parents are not,” he said.

Superintendent William Kirby said he hopes to get more funding for Huber next year to help address increasing student need.

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