IN SHORT: Arnold Drive tops district at multiple grade levels, but it’s not enough.
By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
Every fifth-grade student at Arnold Drive Elementary School scored proficient or advanced on the annual benchmark exam, but even though 100 percent of students did well, it was not enough to push the district past the state average.
Based on a 55-page report from the district, Pulaski County Special School District students did make gains in most areas of the state and federally mandated benchmark exam, but still ended under the state average at all grade levels.
Third-, fourth- and fifth- grade students were close to pulling even with the state average, but the gap widens for sixth-, seventh- and eight-graders.
Students in grades third through eight, took the benchmark exams in literacy, math and science in April. According to No Child Left Behind requirements, students are required to score proficient or advanced in literacy and math by the end of the 2013-2014 school year. No deadline has been set yet for all students to be proficient or better in science.
For this year, schools and districts should have about 70 percent or more of their students scoring proficient or better.
Bright spots in the preliminary test data provided by PCSSD included:
• Arnold Drive fourth- and fifth-graders topped the district in math and literacy. At the third- grade level, Arnold Drive students were first in the district in math and second only to Chenal in literacy.
• At the sixth-grade level, Northwood Middle and the girls at Jacksonville Middle topped the district in math.
Even though the boys and girls campuses of Jacksonville Middle School have been combined back into one campus, the scores were still gender segregated.
• Northwood Middle School eighth-graders were the best in the District on the literacy section of the benchmark.
• Warren Dupree third-graders had the largest gains in the district between 2009 and 2010, going up 36 percent in math and 34 percent in literacy.
• The seventh-grade boys at Jacksonville Middle School jumped 25 percent in literacy and 21 percent in math from 2009 to this year.
Points of concern include:
•The district score dropped 5 percent from 2009 for sixth-graders taking the math portion of the test and dropped 2 percent for eighth graders taking the math portion.
• No sixth-grade or seventh-grade school in the district reached required levels in literacy and no eighth-grade school made the required annual yearly progress in math.
Based on scores, students are placed in one of four categories: Advanced, proficient, basic and below basic.
Students scoring advanced on a segment of the benchmark test are said to be fully ready for the next grade (basically the equivalent of an A); proficient means the student would occasionally need some help or assistance (the general equivalent of a B).
A student with a basic score would struggle in the next grade or level and need lots of help (the general equivalency of a C) and a student is below basic is not ready for the next grade without near constant help or assistance.
At the third-grade level in math, the state average was 83 percent proficient or advanced and PCSSD had a proficient or better rate of 81 percent. In literacy, the state was 71 percent with the district coming in at 66 percent.
In the fourth grade, the state average in the math segment of the benchmark was 80 percent proficient or advanced and at the district level that dropped to 77 percent. In literacy, the state average was 77 percent and the district almost matched that, coming in at 76 percent proficient or advanced.
At the fifth-grade level on the math portion, the state average was 74 percent and the district average was 66 percent. In literacy, the state had 74 percent of its students score proficient or better and the district was one point off at 73 percent.
For sixth-graders, the state average on the math portion was 75 percent and the district was 12 points off that pace at 63 percent proficient or better. In literacy, the state average was 71 percent and the district’s average was 59 percent.
At the seventh-grade level, 75 percent of the students across the state were proficient or better on the math exam, but for PCSSD that fell to 67 percent. In literacy the state average was 68 percent and the district dipped to 59 percent.
For eighth-graders, 63 percent of the students across the state were proficient or advanced at math. At the district level, it was 49 percent. In literacy, the state average was 76 percent and the district average was 67 percent.
Third grade
Arnold Drive and Warren Dupree had the best math scores with 96 percent of their third graders scoring proficient or advanced on the math segment of the benchmark. At Bayou Meto, 92 percent of the students made the grade.
In fact, only three schools failed to reach the annual yearly progress rate of 70 percent. Pinewood had 69 percent of its students score proficient or advanced, Murrell Taylor was at 57 percent and Harris had 47 percent of its students making the cut.
At other area schools, Sylvan Hills and Cato had 88 percent of their students score proficient or advanced, Clinton was at 83 percent proficient or better, Oakbrooke at 80 percent, Tolleson at 75 percent, Sherwood Elementary at 72 percent and Jacksonville Elementary had 71 percent of its students at proficient or better.
On the literacy portion of the state exam, Arnold Drive had the second best scores in the district with 89 percent of its students scoring proficient or advanced.
Eight area schools failed to reach the annual yearly progress rate of 71.2 percent. They were Clinton Elementary, where 69 percent of its students scored proficient or advanced; Tolleson was at 65 percent; Oakbrooke at 61 percent; Sherwood at 57 percent; Murrell Taylor at 52 percent; Pinewood at 50 percent; Jacksonville at 42 percent, and Harris had 41 percent of its students score proficient or better.
Fourth grade
Arnold Drive fourth-graders topped the district in the math portion of the state test with 96 percent of its students scoring proficient or advanced. At Bayou Meto, 91 percent of its students were proficient or better.
Four area schools fell below the annual yearly progress rate of 70 percent. They were Pinewood at 67 percent proficient or advanced, Jacksonville at 66 percent, Murrell Taylor at 64 percent and Harris at 55 percent.
At other area schools, Dupree was 84 percent proficient or advanced, Tolleson was 83 percent, Oakbrooke at 81 percent, Cato at 80 percent, Clinton and Sylvan Hills both had 77 percent of their students at proficient or advanced and Sherwood at 72 percent.
Arnold Drive students also topped the district in literacy with 96 percent of its fourth-graders scoring proficient or better.
Four schools scored below the required baseline of 71.2 percent. They were Sherwood Elementary at 67 percent proficient or better, Jacksonville at 61 percent, Harris at 60 percent and Murrell Taylor at 58 percent.
Other scores include Warren Dupree with 84 percent of its students at proficient or better, Tolleson at 81 percent, Cato and Oakbrooke both at 78 percent, Clinton at 77 percent, Bayou Meto at 74 percent, Sylvan Hills at 73 percent and Pinewood at 72 percent.
Fifth grade
Arnold Drive fifth-graders were perfect on the math portion of the state exam with 100 percent scoring proficient or better. But things fell off fast from there with eight schools not making the grade.
Falling below the 70 percent annual yearly progress rate were Oakbrooke at 68 percent, Sylvan Hills at 67 percent, Sherwood at 63 percent, Clinton at 57 percent, Jacksonville at 56 percent, Pinewood at 52 percent, Murrell Taylor at 42 percent and Harris Elementary had only 37 percent of its fifth-graders score proficient or better.
Between Arnold Drive and the under-performing schools were Cato with 75 percent of its students proficient or advanced, Warren Dupree and Tolleson at 74 percent, and Bayou Meto with 72 percent of its students making the grade.
In literacy, Arnold Drive was again the top school in the district as 92 percent of its fifth-graders scored proficient or advanced.
Sherwood just missed the required baseline average of 71.2 percent as 71 percent of its students were proficient or advanced.
Also missing the cut were Pinewood at 70 percent, Jacksonville at 67 percent, Murrell Taylor at 50 percent and Harris at 41 percent.
At other area schools, Cato had 82 percent of its students at proficient or advanced, Tolleson was at 80 percent, Oakbrook and Sylvan Hills were at 76 percent, Warren Dupree was at 74 percent, Clinton was at 73 percent and Bayou Meto at 72 percent of its students scored proficient or better.
Sixth grade
The Jacksonville Middle School sixth-grade girls and Northwood Middle students had the best math scores in the district with 70 percent at proficient or better.
Both Sylvan Hills, at 61 percent proficient or advanced, and the boys at Jacksonville Middle School, at 55 percent, were below the annual yearly progress rate of 64.55 percent.
On the literacy portion of the test, not a single PCSSD school topped the annual yearly progress rate of 67.6 percent.
Sylvan Hills Middle was closest at 63 percent, Northwood had 62 percent, the girls at Jacksonville Middle were at 60 percent proficient or better, and the boys at Jacksonville Middle were a dismal 32 percent.
Seventh grade
On the math portion of the state and federally mandated exams, Northwood Middle students were second best in the district with 73 percent scoring proficient or advanced.
Northwood was the only area school to be above the baseline mark of 64.55 percent.
The Jacksonville Middle School boys were at 64 percent, Sylvan Hills Middle School was at 61 percent and 54 percent of the girls at Jacksonville Middle School scored proficient of higher.
On the literacy portion, no school in the district reached the annual yearly progress rate of 67.6 percent.
Sylvan Hills Middle had 61 percent of its students score proficient or advance, Northwood Middle had 59 percent and only 49 percent of the girls and 48 percent of the boys at Jacksonville Middle School were proficient or better.
Eighth grade
No district eighth- grade school reached the baseline rate of 65 percent on the math portion of the benchmark.
Northwood Middle had 54 percent of its students score proficient or advanced, Sylvan Hills Middle had 45 percent, and only 33 percent of the boys and 27 percent of the girls at Jacksonville Middle School made the cut.
On the literacy portion of the benchmark, Northwood had 78 percent of its students at proficient or better, and Sylvan Hills Middle School was at 70 percent.
Both the boys and the girls at Jacksonville Middle School were below the annual yearly progress rate of 67.6 percent, with the girls registering 58 percent and the boys at 44 percent.
