ST. LOUIS PUBLIC SCHOOLS ANNOUNCES 2005 MAP RESULTS:
ELEMENTARY COMMUNICATION ARTS AND SCIENCE SCORES UP
ST. LOUIS CLOSES THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN ACHIEVEMENT
GAP IN ELEMENTARY COMMUNICATION ARTS
ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis Public Schools today announced
the preliminary results from the 2005 Missouri Assessment Program
(MAP) test. While the majority of the District’s elementary
schools show increases, middle and high school scores remain
stagnant.
The MAP measures academic standards and determines the level
to which schools enable students to become proficient. The
tests are scored on proficiency standards of Advanced, Proficient,
Nearing Proficient, Progressing and Step 1. The levels of Advanced/Proficient
scores are used to determine each school’s Adequate Yearly
Progress (AYP) required by the Federal No Child Left Behind
law.
“We obviously have a great deal of work to do to ensure that all of our
students are performing at advanced and proficient levels,” said St.
Louis Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Creg E. Williams. “As these results
show, elementary schools have made meaningful gains over the past year, while
middle schools and high schools have not. The Board of Education made an essential
strategic decision to invest approximately $3 million in curriculum materials
for the elementary schools. This year, not only will the District build upon
the work that was started late last year in the elementary grades, but we will
make curriculum changes in middle school and implement a totally revamped core
curriculum in the high schools as part of our comprehensive plan to raise student
achievement. We expect to see growth across the board next year.”
The District is already planning to implement an extended day
program to help students in grades 3-8 who are performing below
grade level in reading and math. There will also be a mandatory
summer school program for students not meeting promotion or
graduation requirements. Furthermore, the District will implement
a school quality review process through its new Office of Assessment
and Accountability to help schools institute corrective actions
designed to improve student performance during the school year.
Finally, the school district is positioned to standardize curriculum,
instruction, and professional development across the system.
With these and other reform efforts the District is confident
that its scores will improve.
“St. Louis students must be given the fundamentals they need in order
to demonstrate competent performance in Communication Arts, Math, and Science.
We must continue our investment in curriculum and professional development
for all grades. We must give the Superintendent flexibility and support to
drive teaching and learning in middle and secondary schools if we are to see
greater improvement,” said Darnetta Clinkscale, President of the Board
of Education.
The following points are highlights from
the MAP results:
Grade level increases and decreases
• In Grade 3, 35.2 percent of students scored at the Advanced and Proficient
levels in Communication Arts scores, an increase of 4.7 percent from the previous
year.
• In Grade 4, Mathematics scores indicated a slight decrease (1%) in
the number of students scoring in the top two achievement levels.
• In both Grade 3 Communication Arts and Grade 4 Mathematics, 29 of 52
(55.7%) of the elementary schools showed increases in the top achievement levels
from 2004. Thirty schools in each subject area demonstrated student movement
out of the lower two achievement levels.
• In Grade 7, the Communication Arts percentage was 11.0%, a decrease
of 1.1%
• In Grade 7 Communication Arts, 13 of 21 (61.9%) of the middle schools
experienced increases in the top two levels and 10 schools showed movement
out of the bottom levels.
• In Grade 8, there was a slight increase in Mathematics with 8.2 percent
of students scoring Advanced and Proficient, up from 6.1% last year.
• In Grade 8 Mathematics, 10 of 21 (47.6%) of the middle schools experienced
increases in the top two levels and the same number showed movement out of
the bottom levels.
• In Grade 10, Mathematics scores averaged 3.5% in the top two achievement
levels, an increase of 1.2%.
• Communication Arts scores at Grade 11 stayed essentially the same from
the previous year.
• In Grade 10 Mathematics, 8 of 11 (72.7%) of the high schools experienced
small increases at the top and 4 high schools showed movement out of the Step
1 and Progressing levels.
• In Grade 11 Communication Arts, 4 of 11 (36.3%) of the high schools
experienced increases, while 6 schools moved students out of the lower achievement
levels.
District Highlights
• The achievement gap at the elementary level in Communication
Arts has narrowed significantly and is much narrower than that
of the State. The level for white students is 36% and 35% for
black students, both above the Annual Yearly Progress goal
of 27%.
• Three elementary schools, formerly identified as “Needs Improvement” by
the State, preliminarily met the criteria for Adequate Yearly Progress and
may be removed from the list.
• In Grade 3 Communication Arts, the percentage of students in the St.
Louis Public Schools scoring in the combined Proficient and Advanced Achievement
level equals the percentage of the State, both at 35%.
Attached is a graph that shows both the SLPS and state results
in Communication Arts, Math, and Science arranged by elementary,
middle and high school levels. The percentages of students
in the three categories of achievement levels are shown for
the last three years. The District’s elementary grades
science scores increased five points and are now comparable
to the state average.
The MAP score information is preliminary, as the Federal government
requires the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary
Education (DESE) to provide districts a 30-day appeal process.
Final determinations of MAP data and AYP will be made by DESE
in November.
Missouri
State Result Three Comparison 
St.
Louis Public Schools MAP Elementary School
Communication Arts Advanced and Proficient
Level
SLPS
Results Three-Year Comparison
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