Voices split on test scores
September 29, 2010
By Sebastian Moraga
Fact: “The school district continues to outperform the state in all grades and all areas,” education expert Greg Lobdell said at the Sept. 23 Snoqualmie Valley School Board meeting.
Fact: The test scores at six neighboring school districts beat the Valley’s third-, seventh- and 10th-graders almost every time in math and reading, retorted community leader and former Valley schools’ foundation president Carolyn Simpson.
So, how well is the district really doing at the Measurement of Student Progress and the High School Proficiency Exam? That depends on where you look and whom you ask.
Simpson said she compared three years’ worth of Snoqualmie Valley test scores with those of the Bellevue, Issaquah, Lake Washington, Mercer Island, Riverview and Tahoma school districts.
A look at 2010 data shown by the state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction’s website shows Snoqualmie Valley scoring lower in two-thirds of the 36 tests. Each of the six districts listed two test scores — math and reading — for three different grades.
When compared with Riverview, the 2010 numbers put Snoqualmie Valley scoring higher in all six categories — reading and math for third-, seventh- and 10th-grades.
Other than that, the other districts outscored Snoqualmie Valley in eight of 12 fourth-grade tests, with one tie (Bellevue) in reading.
In seventh grade, other districts outscored the Valley in seven of 12 tests. In 10th grade, other districts outscored the Valley in nine of 12 tests.
“I think it’s more pertinent to look at eastern Puget Sound districts,” Simpson said. “That’s really our peer group.”
Then, there’s Lobdell’s data, which centered on comparing the district’s performance with the state’s.
In the areas where the state improved, the district improved more, Lobdell said. In areas where the state’s scores worsened, the district’s worsened less.
Eleven percent of district students struggled with the seventh-grade math test in 2010. It’s the lowest it’s ever been, Lobdell said.
With Simpson preaching caution and Lobdell preaching optimism, schools Superintendent Joel Aune reminded both, and the rest of the audience, that there’s more to success in the classroom than a test score.
It’s not wise to make all decisions based on the standardized test scores, Aune said.
“Classroom-based assessments are key,” he said. “The frequency of assessments is important in helping the teachers make decisions.”
Regardless of who is right, the district won’t stop at these scores, Assistant Superintendent Don McConkey said.
“Our staff is not satisfied,” he said. “They believe we can do better.”
Sebastian Moraga: 392-6434, ext. 221, or smoraga@snovalleystar.com. Comment at www.snovalleystar.com.
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2 Responses to “Voices split on test scores”
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Let’s clarify a few points in this article. The point I was trying to make at the school board meeting was that 4th, 7th and 10th grade reading and math test scores for the last three years in the Snoqualmie Valley School District were below the average of all 7 of these neighboring districts in every case. I also pointed out that, in most cases, Snoqualmie was either getting farther away from the average or showing very little improvement. I did point out that 7th grade math in 2010 showed exceptional improvement. My analysis was looking at the average as well as the rankings of these districts. I did not say that all of the other districts beat out the Snoqualmie Valley district every time.
I chose these districts because they are our neighbors, areas in which our valley residents work and shop, or districts with which Snoqualmie schools compete in athletics and arts events. To me, in my analysis, this peer group is a much more reasonable group with which to compare test scores instead of the state. Shouldn’t our district set some higher expectations for our students and not just strive to do better than the mediocre average of the state?
The math scores for 10th grade have dropped by over 11 points over the last two years. When 44% (or almost half) of all 10th graders in Snoqualmie Valley don’t pass a math assessment, then some sort of major change is needed, from elementary to high school. This type of failure must be very difficult for students to handle as they get the scores in the beginning of their junior year. Could these scores be contributing to our 9.5% dropout rate or our low rates of students attending and graduating from four year colleges?
Our students are competitive on the athletic fields and in arts competitions with these other districts. Let’s work together as a community to help our students be as academically prepared as students in this “peer” group.
Huntington Learning Center, Mathnasium, Sylvan, Tutoring Club…
When I am in a crowd of district parents often the conversations turn to questions and comments on the above tutoring facilities. Which one do you like? How much are you paying for tutoring? How long has your son/daughter attended outside classes? How has it helped?
It sounds to me like a fair amount of students are getting supplemental tutoring.
They then return to our district schools and take Assessment Tests.
How do we fairly assess where learning is taking place?
Is it right that the district school gets credit for learning that takes place outside of the district school?
How many students left MSHS for two Rivers and Cyber School just last year and this year alone? How many SVSD students variance out of their home district for a neighboring district? And Why?
Is it most important to have student/athletes or athlete/students.
More to the point, is it more important to have coach/teachers or teacher/coaches?
Ms. Simpson says this:
I chose these districts because they are our neighbors, areas in which our valley residents work and shop, or districts with which Snoqualmie schools compete in athletics and arts events. To me, in my analysis, this peer group is a much more reasonable group with which to compare test scores instead of the state. Shouldn’t our district set some higher expectations for our students and not just strive to do better than the mediocre average of the state?
I agree.