PAWS scores show little decline

In 2012, Wyoming school districts witnessed a drastic change when the state board of education adopted new common core standards.

At a board meeting last week, Sweetwater County School District No.2 Superintendent Donna Little-Kaumo shared results of the 2013-14 Proficiency Assessments for Wyoming Students (PAWS) for Green River students and explained how the new standards have affected those scores.

In an interview Tuesday, Little-Kaumo said what they know about the common core standards is they are much more rigorous than the old Wyoming standards.

Because educators need time to adjust and the proper materials, she said there is going to be an implementation dip in tests scores and across the country there has been 30-40 percent drops.

“We saw a little bit of that, but also saw some scores that didn’t drop that much. We are very proud of that,” Little-Kaumo said.

When the standards were adopted in 2012, she said the district began a process of adapting to the curriculum, which included taking the material and putting into deliverable teacher language.

Unlike the 2013-14 test, she said the 2012-13 testing still had some of the old Wyoming standards and they put common core on a graduated implementation.

For last year’s testing, she said the test was based completely on common core.

Little-Kaumo said the district weathered that better than others because she started getting the curriculum to the teachers and told them this is what you are responsible for.

Looking at this year’s testing numbers, Little-Kaumo said she was happy with third grade numbers and also with the fourth grade reading test scores.

Overall, she was pleased with how the students in Green River scored.

“I think it spoke to the fact that we got ahead of this game early so se could start mapping the curriculum and getting that to the teachers so they understood the significant changes that happened,” Little-Kaumo said.

While pleased with the progress, she said there are certainly some places that warrant some work.

“But the places that were lower than I would have preferred, we also had some major content changes in those grades,” Little-Kaumo.

As an example, she said that with new standards, co-efficients are now tested for sixth grade math students, where as before it was taught in the eight grade.

Little-Kaumo added anytime there are new standards or a new test, there are adjustments.

“We will get better next year because people will know what this testing looks like,” she said.

TEST RESULTS

At the third grade level, the state average for reading scores on the PAWS test is 62 and a 51 for math.

Washington School scored a 56 on reading and a 50 on math. Harrison scored a 66 on reading and a 48 on math. Truman scored a 54 on reading and a 44 on math.

The fourth though eighth grade test also includes science and the state wide average is 64 for reading, 47 for math, and 53 for science.

Washington scored an incredible 73 for reading, 49 for math, and 67 for science. Harrison had a strong 71 in reading, 56 in math, and a higher than state average 65 in science. Jackson was also strong with in reading with a 72, and had both a 53 in reading and science.

In fifth grade the state average scores were 58 in reading, 54 in math, and 64 in writing. Monroe Intermediate School scored a 48 in reading, a 48 in math, and a 43 in writing.

In sixth grade, the state average was a 57 in reading and a 49 in math. Monroe scored a 45 in reading a a 30 in math.

In seventh grade, the state average is 59 for reading and 43 for math. Monroe scored a 65 in reading and a 38 in math.

The eighth grade average scores for the state are a 58 in reading, a 50 in math, and a 47 in science.

Lincoln Middle School eighth graders averaged a 49 in reading, 40 in math, and a 32 in science. Lincoln scored a 49 in reading, a 40 in math, and a 32 in science.

At the high school level where students are tested with the ACT, Green River had a 18.8 average for 11th graders in the 2012-13 school year and a 19.4 average last year. The state average was 19.7 in 2012-13 and 19.9 last school year.

 

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