Improvement trend continues on state assessments
Highest percentages of students in top performance level for reading and math
TOPEKA — Kansas students improved performance on statewide reading and mathematics assessments for the eleventh straight year, according to results from the 2011 Kansas Statewide Assessments released today at the State Board of Education meeting in Topeka. Results showed that in the areas of reading and mathematics, there are higher percentages of students performing at the exemplary level than at any of the other four performance levels on the assessments.
Students performing in the top three performance levels on the reading assessment (exemplary, exceeds standards and meets standards) increased to 87.6 percent in 2011, up from 86.3 percent in 2010. On the mathematics assessment, students in the top three performance levels totaled 84.7 percent in 2011, up from 83.1 percent in 2010. Since 2001, the percentage of students in the top three performance levels has increased 27.4 percentage points in reading and 30.2 percentage points in mathematics.
A breakout of student performance based on the state’s five achievement levels – exemplary, exceeds standards, meets standards, approaches standard and academic warning – shows that in both reading and mathematics the highest percentage of students perform at the exemplary levels. In reading, 32.3 percent of students perform at the exemplary level and in mathematics, 29.8 percent of students perform at the exemplary level. Those numbers are also up from the previous year, indicating that Kansas educators have been successful in moving students out of lower levels of performance and into the higher performance levels.
“Kansas educators are to be commended for rising to the challenge of ensuring that Kansas students are learning to high levels and that all populations continue to show academic improvement,” said Education Commissioner Dr. Diane DeBacker.
Reading and math assessments are given each year to every grade three through eight and once in high school. Performance levels by grade showed improvement at all grade levels in reading, except in seventh grade where performance was down by less than half a percentage point. All grades showed improvement in mathematics (see attached graphs).
Results of the 2011 science assessments also showed improvement. Science is tested each year, but only in grades four, seven and once in high school. The percentage of students in the top three performance levels increased in the fourth grade to 92.7 percent, up from 91.7 percent in 2010. Seventh-grade students in the top three performance levels increased from 83.3 percent in 2010 to 83.6 percent in 2011. A similar increase was seen among high school students, where the percentage performing in the top three performance levels increased from 83.6 percent in 2010 to 83.8 percent in 2011.
More information regarding the 2011 Kansas Report Card is available on the KSDE website at http://online.ksde.org/rcard/. State, district and individual school information is available.
Also released today was the list of Kansas schools achieving the State Standard of Excellence at grade levels and building wide. There were 3,220 Standard of Excellence awards presented in reading and 2,765 awards presented in math. In science, 484 Standard of Excellence awards were achieved.
To receive a Standard of Excellence in reading for grades 3-6, at least 25 percent of students must be in the Exemplary category on the state assessment, with not more than 5 percent of students in Academic Warning. For grades 7-8, 20 percent of students must score in the Exemplary category, with not more than 10 percent of students in Academic Warning. For high schools, at least 15 percent of students must be in the Exemplary category, with not more than 10 percent of students in Academic Warning.
To receive a Standard of Excellence at the grade or building level in reading, the building must make AYP in the “All Students” group. Additionally, the following are expected percentage values for a school of excellence in reading.
· Grades 3-6, 60 percent of students classified as Exceeds Standard or above; 80 percent as Meets Standard and above; and 95 percent as Approaches Standard and above.
· Grades 7-8, 55 percent of students classified as Exceeds Standard and above; 75 percent as Meets Standard and above; and 90 percent classified as Approaches Standard and above.
· High school, 50 percent of students classified as Exceeds Standard and above; 70 percent as Meets Standard and above; and 90 percent classified as Approaches Standard and above.
To receive a Standard of Excellence in mathematics for grades 3-6, at least 25 percent of students must be in the Exemplary category on the state assessment, with not more than 5 percent of students in Academic Warning. For grades 7-8, 25 percent of students must score in the Exemplary category, with not more than 10 percent of students in Academic Warning. For high schools, at least 15 percent of students must be in the Exemplary category, with not more than 15 percent of students in Academic Warning.
To receive a Standard of Excellence at the grade or building level in mathematics, the building must make AYP in the “All Students” group. Additionally, the following are expected percentage values for a school of excellence in mathematics.
· Grades 3-6, 60 percent of students classified as Exceeds Standard or above; 80 percent as Meets Standard and above; and 95 percent as Approaches Standard and above.
· Grades 7-8, 60 percent of students classified as Exceeds Standard and above; 80 percent as Meets Standard and above; and 90 percent classified as Approaches Standard and above.
· High school, 40 percent of students classified as Exceeds Standard and above; 70 percent as Meets Standard and above; and 85% classified as Approaches Standard and above.
Similar formulas are used to calculate the Standard of Excellence for science.
A link to the list of grades/schools receiving a Standard of Excellence can be found on the Kansas State Department of Education’s website at http://www.ksde.org/Default.aspx?tabid=2379.
Kansas Statewide Assessment Results 2011
