By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
Arnold Drive fourth-graders at Little Rock Air Force Base scored better than 87 percent of the fourth-graders across the nation in math, and the school’s third- and fifth-graders beat out about 80 percent of the nation’s fifth-graders in math, according to recently released test scores.
Cabot fifth-graders at Magness Creek and Stagecoach, along with those at Searcy’s Westside Elementary, also beat out about 80 percent of their grade-level competition across the country in math.
On the other hand, nearly 80 percent of the nation’s seventh- graders can read better than those at the Jacksonville Middle School boys’ campus, based on the SAT-10 scores.
Also, about 80 percent of the nation’s third-graders have better language skills than the third-grades at Jacksonville or Harris elementary schools.
Along with the recently benchmark scores, the Arkansas Department of Education also released the Stanford Achievement Test (tenth series) scores, which compares Arkansas students to other students across the nation.
The benchmark and the SAT -10 are combined in one testing packet called the Augmented Benchmark Exam. About 209,000 students, grade three through grade eight, took the augmented or combined exams in April.
Some of the exam questions are scored for the benchmark, while others are scored for the SAT-10 and some questions are used for both.
The benchmark portion of the augmented exam measures how well students have learned or have been taught the state frameworks for his or her grade. The benchmark is used by the state to see how well schools are or aren’t performing.
The SAT-10 compares state students to all other students across the country that have taken a similar test.
While students are given a score of advanced, proficient, basic or below basic on the benchmark, on the SAT-10 the student is given a percentile ranking that shows where he or she stands nationally.
For example, if a fourth-grade student is in the 60th percentile, it means the student scored better than 59 percent of the fourth- graders across the country, but 39 percent scored better.
Overall, area students are strongest in math, with many schools scoring above the 50th percentile, and weakest in language skills, with most schools scoring below the 50th percentile.
THIRD GRADE
In Beebe, third-graders scored in the 49th percentile in reading, the 65th percentile in math and the 39th percentile in language.
In Cabot, Central Elementary students were in the 45th percentile in reading, the 61st in math and the 34th in language.
Westside students scored in the 43rd percentile in reading, the 56th percentile in math and the 36th band in language. At Stagecoach, students were in the 58th percentile in reading, the 76th band in math and the 52nd percentile in language.
Students at Cabot’s Southside scored in the 50th percentile in reading, the 68th percentile in math and the 44th band in language. Northside students were in the 46th percentile in reading, the 65th band in math and the 39th percentile in language. At Eastside, students scored in the 54th percentile in reading, the 68th percentile in math and the 46th band in language.
Magness Creek students were in the 57th percentile in reading, the 79th band in math and the 55th percentile in language.
Ward Central third-graders were in the 39th percentile for reading, the 52nd band in math and the 28th in language.
At Lonoke, third graders scored in the 41st percentile in reading, the 54th percentile in math and the 33rd band in language.
In Pulaski County, Arnold Drive students were in the 71st percentile in reading, the 81st band in math and the 67th in language. Tolleson students scored in the 50th percentile in reading, the 59th percentile in math and the 38th band in language. Harris Elementary students were in the 25th percentile in reading, the 36th band in math and the 17th percentile in language.
At Bayou Meto Elementary, the third-graders scored in the 39th percentile in reading, the 61st percentile in math and the 29th band in language. Cato Elementary students were in the 31st percentile in reading, the 58th band in math and the 29th percentile in language.
Jacksonville Elementary third-graders scored in the 24th band in reading, the 38th percentile in math and the 19th in language. Pinewood students scored in the 26th percentile in reading, the 46th band in math and the 23rd percentile in language. Students at Warren Dupree were in the 31st percentile in reading, the 36th percentile in math and the 26th band in language.
In Sherwood, Clinton Elementary students scored in the 39th percentile in reading, the 44th band in math and 32nd in language. Oakbrook students were in the 38th percentile in reading, the 55th percentile in math and the 37th band in language. Sylvan Hills’ third-graders scored in the 34th percentile in reading, the 55th band in math and the 28th percentile in language.
Sherwood Elementary students were in the 37th percentile in reading, the 48th percentile in math and the 39th band in language.
In Searcy, Sidney Deener third-graders scored in the 61st percentile in reading, the 71st band in math and the 60th percentile in language. McRae Elementary students were in the 47th percentile in reading, the 58th band in math and the 37th percentile in language. Westside students scored in the 64th band in reading, the 72nd percentile in math and the 58th in language.
FOURTH GRADE
In Beebe, fourth-graders were at the 69th percentile in reading, the 76th percentile in math and the 39th percentile in language.
At Cabot’s Central Elementary, the students score in the 72nd percentile in reading and math and in the 45 percentile in language. Southside students were in the 70th percentile in reading, the 76th percentile in math and the 45th band in language. At Ward Central, the fourth-graders scored in the 64th percentile in reading, 68th percentile in math and down to the 39th percentile in language.
Cabot Northside students scored in the 70th percentile in reading, the 74th percentile in math and the 43rd percentile in language. Stagecoach students were in the 74th percentile for reading, the 81st for math and the 43rd in language. Fourth-graders at Magness Creek scored in the 74 percentile in reading, the 81st percentile in math and the 50th percentile in language.
At Cabot’s Eastside Elementary, students scored in the 70th percentile in reading, the 72nd band in math and the 45th percentile in language.
Lonoke fourth graders scored in the 67th percentile in reading, the 69th percentile in math and the 39th band in language.
In the Pulaski County, Arnold Drive beat those averages, scoring in the 77th percentile in reading, the 88th percentile in math and the 62nd percentile in language. Tolleson students scored in the 60th percentile in reading, the 68th percentile in math and the 42nd percentile in language. At Dupree Elementary, students scored in the 59th percentile in reading, the 70th band in math and in the 38th percentile in language.
Bayou Meto students scored in the 70th percentile in reading, the 76th percentile in math and the 47th band in language. At Cato, students scored in the 63rd percentile in reading, the 64th band in math and the 38th in language.
Sherwood Elementary students scored in the 59th percentile in reading, the 65th percentile in math and the 34th band in language. Oakbrooke students scored in the 59th percentile in reading, the 65th band in math and the 29th percentile in language. At Sylvan Hills, students scored in the 57th percentile in reading, the 65th in math and the 27th band in language.
Clinton Elementary students scored in the 61st percentile in reading, the 72nd band in math and the 30th percentile in language.
At Pinewood, students scored in the 52nd percentile in reading, the 63rd percentile in math and the 24th band in language.
Jacksonville Elementary fourth-graders scored in the 40th percentile in reading, the 51st percentile in math and the 20th percentile in language.
At Searcy’s Westside Elementary, the fourth-graders scored in the 74th percentile in reading, the 81st percentile in math and the 54th percentile in language. McRae students scored in the 64th percentile in reading, the 71st band in math and the 42nd in language. At Sidney Deener, the fourth graders scored in the 68th percentile in reading, the 71st band in math and the 43rd percentile in language.
FIFTH GRADE
Fifth-graders in Beebe scored in the 54th percentile in reading, the 61st percentile in math and the 47th percentile in language.
At Cabot Middle School South, students scored in the 65th percentile in reading, the 66th percentile in math and the 53rd in language. At Cabot Middle School North, students scored in the 66th percentile in reading, the 68th percentile in math and the 51st band in language.
In Pulaski County, the Arnold Drive students scored in the 79th percentile in reading, the 82nd band in math and the 61st percentile in language. At Tolleson, the students scored in the 58th percentile in reading and math and in the 49th percentile in language. Bayou Meto students were in the 59th percentile in reading, the 63rd band in math and the 43rd percentile in language. At Cato Elementary, students scored in the 49th percentile in reading, the 47th percentile in math and the 35th band in language.
At Warren Dupree, fifth-graders scored in the 44 percentile in reading, the 58th percentile in math and the 42nd percentile in language. Murrell Taylor students scored in the 28th percentile in reading, the 38th percentile in math and the 29th percentile in language.
At Jacksonville Elementary, students were in the 27th percentile in reading, the 33rd percentile in math and the 28th percentile in language. Pinewood students scored in the 50th percentile in reading, the 55th percentile in math and the 43rd band in language.
Students at Harris Elementary scored in the 28th percentile in reading, the 41st percentile in math and the 26th percentile in language.
At Oakbrooke Elementary in Sherwood, students scored in the 56th percentile in reading, the 59th percentile in math and the 44th band in language. Sherwood Elementary students were in the 47th band in reading, the 57th in math and the 43rd percentile in language. Clinton Elementary students scored in the 47th percentile in reading, the 49th in math and the 41st band in language.
In Searcy, fifth-grade students scored in the 71st percentile in reading, the 72nd percentile in math and the 62nd band in language.
Editor’s note: Sixth, seventh and eighth-grade scores will appear in Saturday’s Leader.