By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
Arkansas students are about average, according to recently released Iowa Test of Basic Skills scores.
But some Cabot students scored much better than average, while a number of Pulaski County students were below.
Statewide, about 35,000 third graders were tested and had a percentile score of 54 percent in math, 50 percent in reading and 44 percent in language. Of the 35,400 fourth graders tested, students had a 61 in math, a 52 in reading and a percentile ranking of 55 in language. In the fifth grade, out of 35,000 students, they were in the 54th percentile in math, 47th in reading and 50th in language.
The test, imbedded in the annual Benchmark exams, was given to students in third through eighth grade. This is the first of a two-part series looking at third and fourth grade scores.
It is a norm-referenced exam, meaning the tests do not have cut scores and students do not “pass” or “fail.”
The test scores are given in percentile rankings — in other words, how well the student did against other students in that grade across the country. So that percentile ranking of 55, for example, means that students scored better than 55 percent of students taking the test across the country. But 45 percent of the country’s students scored higher.
The Iowa Test is given as part of the annual Benchmark exam but is pulled out and scored separately. It is not used to determine whether a school is failing or not, but as a tool for teachers to see how well students are doing on basic skills.
Among local third graders, Southside elementary in Cabot scored in the 70th percentile in math, meaning they outscored 70 percent of the students across the country and wereonly beaten by 30 percent.
On the other hand, third-grade students at Sidney Deener in Searcy scored in the 35th percentile in math, meaning 65 percent of the students across the country did better.
THIRD GRADERS
Beebe and Badger Elementary third graders scored in the 55th percentile in math. Beebe was 51 in reading, while Badger students were at 53 and, in language, both schools were in the 40th percentile.
In Searcy, Sidney Deener was in the 35th percentile in math, 35th in reading and 30th in language. McRae third graders were 56th in math, 53rd in reading and 40th in language. Westside students were 65th in math, 69th in reading and 51st in language.
In Cabot, Eastside third graders scored in the 62nd percentile in math, 62nd in reading and 47th in language. Central students were 60th in math, 64th in reading and 38th in language. Westside students were 64th in math, 54th in reading and in the 46th percentile in language.
Also in Cabot, Southside third graders were 70th in math, 65th in reading and 58th in language. Northside scored in the 56th percentile in math, 54th in reading and 40th in language. Ward Central was 57th in math, 47th in reading and 35th in language. Magness Creek students finished 68th in math, 58th in reading and 46th in language.
Cabot’s Stagecoach was in the 69th percentile in math, 65th in reading and 60th in language. Mountain Springs third graders were 67th in math, 63rd in reading and in the 54th percentile in language.
Lonoke third graders were in the 50th percentile in math, 53rd in reading and 43rd in language.
Third graders in England scored in the 53rd percentile in math, 43rd in reading and 47th in language.
Carlisle third graders were in the 67th percentile in math, 59th in reading and 54th in language.
In the Pulaski County Special School District, Bayou Meto third graders were in the 61st percentile in math, 44th in reading and 36th in language, Clinton Elementary was 43rd in math, 46th in reading and 39th in language
PCSSD’s Warren Dupree third graders were 40th in math, 36th in reading and in the 34th percentile in language. Harris third graders were 38th in math, 26th in reading and 30th in language. Tolleson was in the 45th percentile in math, 44th in reading and 41st in language. Sherwood Elementary was 53rd in math, 43rd in reading and 40th in language
Also in Pulaski County, Sylvan Hills was in the 46th percentile in math, 41st in reading and 44th in language. Cato Elementary was 52nd in math, 44th in reading, and 38th in language. Pinewood landed in the 36th percentile in math, 35th in reading and 30th in language. Arnold Drive was 61st in math, 51st in reading and 50th in language.
Oakbrooke Elementary scored in the 44th percentile in math, 46th in reading and 39th in language. Murrell Taylor was 36th in math, 29th in reading and 27th in language.
Lisa Academy North was 54th in math, 61st in reading and 45th in language.
Jacksonville’s Lighthouse Charter School finished in the 51st percentile in math, 52nd in reading and 41st in language.
FOURTH GRADE
Beebe Elementary fourth graders scored in the 59th percentile in math, 56th in reading and 48th in language. Students at Badger Elementary were in the 61st percentile in math, 51st in reading and 46th in language.
At Searcy, the fourth graders at Southwest Middle School scored in the 61st percentile in math, 57th in reading and 56th in language.
Lonoke fourth graders were in the 53rd percentile in math, 46th in reading and 42nd in language.
England students were 54th in math, 42nd in reading and 48th in language.
Carlisle students scored in the 51st percentile in math, 48th in reading and then jumped into the 63rd percentile in language.
In Cabot, Eastside fourth graders were in the 74th percentile in math, 62nd in reading and 62nd in language. Central Elementary was 65th in math, 59th in reading and 54th in language. Westside students were 64th in math, 57th in reading and 55th in language. Southside was in the 69th percentile in math, 60th in reading and 56th in language. Northside was 63rd in math, 56th in reading and 52nd in language.
Ward Central fourth graders in Cabot scored in the 59th percentile in math, 56th in reading and 47th in language. Magness Creek Elementary students were 70th in math, 67th in reading and 59th in language. Stagecoach students were 71st in math, 62nd in reading and 66th in language. Mountain Springs was 68th in math, 66th in reading and 59th in language.
In PCSSD, Bayou Meto fourth graders were in the 46th percentile in math, 44th in reading and 44th in language. Clinton Elementary was 56th in math, 47th in reading and 57th in language. Warren Dupree was 41st in math, 31st in reading and 33rd in language. Harris Elementary was 31st in math, 27th in reading and 23rd in language.
Also in PCSSD, Sherwood Elementary was in the 57th percentile in math, 47th percentile in reading and the 49th percentile in language. Sylvan Hills Elementary was 57th in math, 41st in reading and 48th in language. Cato Elementary was 54th in math, 45th in reading and 42nd in language. Pinewood was 41st in math, 39th in reading and 42nd in language. Tolleson was 51st in math, 43rd in reading and 45th in language.
Arnold Drive fourth graders were in the 67th percentile in math, 63rd in reading and 66th in language. Oakbrooke was 57th in math, 53rd in reading and 54th in language. Murrell Taylor students ended up in the 41st percentile in math, 34th in reading and also 34th in language.
Lisa Academy North was in the 70th percentile in math, 63rd in reading and also 63rd in language. The Jacksonville Lighthouse Charter School was in the 52nd percentile in math, 40th percentile in reading and 48th in language.