CCS staff sees 13% reading improvement in grades K-6
Winter MAP testing at CCS was completed in December, and results show there is improvement in K-6 students’ academic scores.
That’s according to April Lambert, CCS curriculum coordinator, who reported results to school board members at their Jan. 11 meeting.
MAP stands for Measure of Academic Progress, and those tests are given three times each school year at CCS—fall, winter and spring.
For K-6 students, a 13% increase in reading at grade level was shown between testing in September and the end of December, Lambert said.
Overall, 65% of K-6 students are reading at grade level, up from 52% at the testing in September.
“This means we are gaining ground,” she said. “That was a celebration to have a 13% increase.”
“At-risk” students, or those reading one grade below their grade, decreased from 31% to 28%, while those considered “emergency,” or two grades below grade level, dropped from 12% to 6.5%, Lambert said.
Lambert said three sources are used at CCS to measure reading proficiency. Those include the testing system that came with the new reading program, MAP tests and the state assessment tests.
Work on reading skills happens in the classroom with teachers, meeting with students who need it as well as other interventions, she added.
Looking at the English/Language Arts area, Lambert said CCS grade 3-8 students were 44% proficient on the 2019 state assessment testing (before the COVID year).
In comparison, the statewide proficiency average was 53% and CCS peer schools were 59% proficient.
Two years later, in spring 2021, CCS increased its ELA proficiency to 47%, or 3%.
When looking at SPVA conference schools, CCS remained in 5th place In ELA, the same spot as 2019, Lambert said.
She said there is one difference—all but one other SPVA schools, Bridgeport, had lower averages.
Lambert said it looks good for additional ELA improvement in the future.
She said their goal at CCS is to continue to make up the gaps in some grades, while maintaining the scores in grades with percentages in the 60s.
Regarding math, CCS grade 3-8 students are 58% proficient, which ties them for first in the conference with Bridgeport.
Lambert said with a new math curriculum and work teachers are doing, she is seeing “very strong” math proficiency in the lower grades. She is hopeful of catching up students in other grades, so the overall proficiency increases in future testing look promising.
She and the teachers have set goals for 2022 to be 52% proficient in ELA and 65% in math. That would be a 5% ELA increase and up 8% in math.
Bettering ACT scores
Last year’s CCS juniors, now seniors, taking the ACT were slightly above the state averages for ELA and math.
Lambert reported the 2020-21 juniors were 52% proficient in ELA and 46% in math.
The state averages were 46% in ELA and 44% in math.
However, CCS scores did drop from the prior year’s juniors, so Lambert said staff decided to take additional steps to remedy that this year.
That include introducing a new ACT prep program. It is being introduced this year to the juniors, who’ll take the ACT March 22. Those ACT scores are also used as the state assessment testing for juniors.
Comparing to the other SPVA schools, CCS average ACT scores placed them third in math and science, and 5th in ELA.
Lambert said Bridgeport has shown a lot of success in the ACT. They lead all other SPVA schools in average ELA, math and science scores, and is the only conference school with averages at or above the 20 mark in each area.
CCS is using the “On to College” course that Bridgeport has used, she said, which involves 22 learning sessions lasting 20 minutes each to help toward better ACT testing.
The “On to College” program will be expanded in 2022-23 to include CCS middle school students to help start their ACT preparation, she added. The program will also be used in the freshman and sophomore classes, along with a refresher course for seniors.