By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
This is the last in a series of articles taking an in-depth look at the state Benchmark exams.
More than half of the juniors at Jacksonville High School cannot read or write at the appropriate grade level, according to recently released 2012 literacy exam scores. Across the state about one-third of the juniors are not working up to grade level.
The exams, once called the Rising Star exams, are given to juniors across the state in April to check their ability to read and write at the high school junior level. A score of proficient or advanced means the students is at or above grade level. Scores of basic or below basic show that a student is struggling at grade level.
Just 45 percent of the Jacksonville juniors scored proficient or better on the 2012 exam, which was an eight-point improvement from 2011. The state proficiency average is 68 percent.
Secondary students also take an end-of-course exam after they complete Algebra I, geometry and biology.
The Algebra I exam is considered a “high stakes” exam because students not scoring high enough on it must retake Algebra I. None of the other end-of-course exams have that “high stakes” tag.
Beebe, Cabot Middle School South and Carlisle eighth-graders all scored 100 percent on the 2012 version of the Algebra I end-of-course exam.
Jacksonville High School also had one of the lowest scores in central Arkansas on the biology end-of-course exam. Close to 90 percent of the students completing biology, didn’t score proficient or better on the end-of-course exam. The state average is just 43 percent proficient.
The test score information is provided by the Arkansas Research Center, which has been tracking benchmark proficiency since 2008.
LITERACY
The state proficiency average on the 11th-grade literacy test was 68 percent on the 2012 exam. Beebe, Carlisle, Cabot and Lonoke beat that average, while Sylvan Hills, North Pulaski and Jacksonville didn’t.
Beebe students scored 61 percent proficient in 2008 and moved up to 81 percent proficient on the 2012 exam. Beebe has beaten the state average the last five years.
Cabot juniors were at 66 percent proficient in 2008, topped off at 80 percent in 2011, and dipped to 78 percent in 2012, beating the state mark by 10 points. They have also beaten the state mark five years in a row.
Carlisle juniors were at 37 percent proficient in 2008 and climbed to 83 percent in 2012, 15 points better than the state mark. Lonoke moved from 47 percent in 2008 to 73 percent in 2012, beating the state average by five points.
At North Pulaski High, juniors were just 36 percent proficient in 2008, but moved up to 68 percent on the 2012 exam, even with the state average. Sylvan Hills juniors have moved from 45 percent proficient in 2008 to 66 percent in 2012, just two points shy of the state average.
Jacksonville High’s juniors literacy rate scores have gone up eight points from 2011 to 2012, but are still 21 points below the state average. Jacksonville students were 30 percent proficient in 2008, 37 percent in 2011 and 45 percent on the 2012 exam.
ALGEBRA I, 8TH GRADE
Most students take this high-stake test when they finish Algebra I in the eighth grade. If students don’t score high enough, they are required to take the course and the state test again in the ninth grade.
Cabot Middle School South eighth graders scored 100 percent proficient or better on the 2012 test and have been at 100 percent since 2008. Cabot Middle School North students were 98 percent proficient, down from 99 percent in 2011. The students scored 100 percent in 2009 and 2010. The state average is 95 percent proficient.
Lonoke eighth graders were 90 percent in 2008, but have been 100 percent ever since, including the 2012 exam. Beebe eighth graders were also 100 percent proficient on the 2012, moving up from 81 percent in 2008.
Carlisle students were 96 percent proficient in 2008, up to 100 percent in 2009, but then fell down to 71 percent on the 2012 exam, three points above the state average.
Eighth graders at Jackson-ville Middle School were 76 percent proficient in 2008 and moved up to 96 percent proficient in 2012, one point over the state average.
Sylvan Hills Middle School students started at 82 percent proficient in 2008, topped out at 97 percent in 2010 and fell back slightly to 94 percent in 2012, a point below the state mark. At Northwood Middle School, eighth graders were at 81 percent proficient in 2008, topped off at 93 percent the next year and were at 83 percent proficient on the 2012 exam, 12 points below the state average.
ALGEBRA I, 9TH GRADE
Ninth-graders taking the Algebra I exam usually weren’t ready to take the course in eighth grade or are retaking it because they didn’t score well enough in eighth grade. Across the state, 66 percent of ninth graders taking the course are proficient or advanced.
Beebe and Lonoke ninth- graders were the only ones in the area to be above the state average. Beebe students were 75 percent proficient in 2012, up from 39 percent in 2008, and beating the state mark by nine points.
Lonoke students were at 74 percent proficient in 2008 and topped off at 78 percent in 2012 before falling to 70 percent on the 2012 exams, but still four points better than the state mark.
Carlisle was 43 percent proficient in 2008; it fell sharply to 17 percent in 2011, then improved to 53 percent in 2012, below the state average by 13 points.
Cabot ninth-graders struggled on the algebra test, going from 59 percent proficient in 2008, falling to 50 percent in 2011, and dropping to 34 percent on the 2012 test, 22 points under the state mark.
Jacksonville ninth graders were a point better than Cabot at 35 percent proficient on the 2012 exam. Jacksonville students were 26 percent proficient in 2008 and topped out at 49 percent in 2010.
Sylvan Hills High School ninth-graders were at 48 percent proficient in 2008, topped off at 71 percent in 2010, then fell to 59 percent in 2012, seven points off the state average.
North Pulaski High School students went from 43 percent proficient in 2008 to 71 percent in 2010 and then fell to 50 percent proficient on the latest set of exams, 16 points below the state average.
GEOMETRY
The state proficiency average on the geometry end-of-course exam is 76 percent. Cabot and Beebe beat the average. Other area schools did not.
At Cabot, geometry students went from 75 percent proficient in 2008 to 80 percent on the 2012 exams, four points better than the state average. Beebe students were 72 percent proficient in 2008 and moved up to 78 percent in 2012, two points above the state mark.
Lonoke went from 47 percent proficient in 2008 to 73 percent in 2012, three points off the state average. Sylvan Hills went from 41 percent proficient in 2008 to 72 percent on the 2012 exam, four points under the state average. Carlisle was 55 percent proficient in 2008, up to 71 percent the next year and fell to 65 percent in 2012, 11 points off the state mark.
North Pulaski geometry students were at 38 percent in 2008, topped off at 67 percent in 2011 and then fell to 52 percent in 2012, 24 points below the state mark.
At Jacksonville High School, students have moved steadily from 26 percent proficient in 2008 to 46 percent in 2012, 30 points below the state average.
BIOLOGY
Across the state, just 43 percent of high school students scored proficient or better on the biology end-of-course exam. Carlisle, Beebe and Cabot surpassed the state average, but still had about 40 percent of the students not make the grade.
Carlisle was at 20 percent proficient in 2008, hit 65 percent in 2011 and 64 percent in 2012, 21 points better than the state average. Beebe High School students have gone from 39 percent proficient in 2008 to 59 percent on the 2012 exam, 16 points better than the state mark. Cabot went from 53 percent proficient in 2008 to 63 percent in 2009 before tapering off to 58 percent in 2012, beating the state mark by 15 points.
Lonoke biology students were 24 percent proficient in 2008, hit 42 percent in 2009, fell to 22 percent in 2011, and then up to 41 percent on the 2012 exams, just two points short of the state average. At North Pulaski, students were 23 percent proficient in 2008, topped off at 33 percent in 2011, and were 32 percent proficient in 2012, 11 points under the state mark. Sylvan Hills was 21 percent proficient in 2008, up to 26 percent the next year and 24 percent proficient on the 2012 exam, 19 points below the state average.
Jacksonville started at 13 percent proficient in 2008 and 11 percent in 2012, more than 30 points below the state mark.
