It’s the first administration of the all-important State Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) Test, and using it as a barometer, the Rockdale ISD looks to be on target for very good results overall the 2018-19 school year.
Statistics on the test administered to fifth and eighth-graders in April, have been received by the district and the scores range from good to spectacular.
Pam Kaufmann, assistant superintendent said the district had compiled scores gauging the performance of the same students who took the test last year.
“Instead of comparing this year’s fifth grade to last year’s fifth grade, and the same for the eighth, we compared the scores of this year’s fifth grade students to what their scores were last year as a fourth-grader,” she said. “Same for the eighth-grade, we compared their scores to what they had last year as a seventh-grader.”
“We wanted to see the job we are doing for individual students,” she said.
Most spectacular numbers were in fourth grade math where 72 percent of the 2017-2018 fourth graders passed. That improved to 90 percent passing as fifth-graders this year.
“We’ve done a lot of work in math,” Kaufmann said.
Fifth-grade reading went from 75 percent last year to 80 percent in 2019.
Eighth-grade reading improved from 68 percent passing as seventh-graders to 72 percent this year.
In eighth-grade math, the scores were the same, 70 percent in 2018 and the same this year.
“The teachers have just done a great job,” Kaufmann said. “We’ve really pushed hard on closing the gaps based on last year’s scores.”
“We’ve worked hard to identify the students and groups we needed to focus on.”
“But that’s only part of it,” she said. “We want to continue to grow but we’re not leaving out anyone either. Another goal was ‘nobody goes backwards’ and looking at these scores that’s what happened.”
MORE TESTS—The STAAR test has become controversial with many educators questioning its effectiveness and the way it is administered.
Some studies have attempted to show some of the exams are testing students at two grade levels higher than required.
Some bills have been introduced this legislative session to scale back the test but, on Monday, the Texas Senate passed a bill that added writing tests to grades 3, 5, 6 and 8, and a reading readiness test to kindergarten.
That bill now goes to the Texas House of Representatives.
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