County schools get state test scores

Cheryl Owens/News Editor
The Newton Record

NEWTON October 15, 2008 12:21 pm

— Newton Superintendent of Education Mary Kate Garvin said she is never satisfied with test scores unless they are all proficient and advanced, saying that is where you want the scores to be.
Garvin made this remark after receiving the District level test results that were released last week giving parents first look at how their child’s school performed on the new, more rigorous Mississippi Curriculum tests.
The MCT2 was designed to assess students’ mastery of a more rigorous content, and is administered to students in third through eighth grade and includes two sections: mathematics and language arts.
“This is the first year for the MCT2 test and I think we held our own across the state, with the rigor and relevance in the testing with deeper depth of knowledge and more critical analysis on the test,” Garvin said. “I think we did very well, we made the AYP which is very important for our federal monies we receive. Our students scored where they were supposed to on this really complicated formula.”
Garvin said this year her focus is not holding our own anymore but exceeding the state average in all areas.
“Our focus is putting the majority of our students in that proficient and advanced range,” Garvin said. “We have looked at the areas we lacked proficiency in which was language and we are already implementing a program for that.”
Garvin said when the tests come back next year the city of Newton will show we have outstanding students, teachers, administrators and a community that supports the school.
“We do have room for improvement, and hopefully next year we will be a level 5 school,” Garvin said. “I have been in a lot of school districts and this is by far the best I have ever been in, the students and faculty are great. We will top out next year I am positive about that.”
Newton County Schools Superintendent Pat Ross said overall he was very pleased with the results of their tests.
“There are areas we need to improve on because these are more difficult and complex tests,” Ross said. “In all but one area we were at or above the state average. We were at or above in percentage of students that scored proficient or advanced that is very important.”
Ross said the Algebra 1 and 2 were new and on a higher level and very complex.
“In those tests we did well and were at or above state average, we were pleased there,” Ross said. “Overall, because of the new testing we have a lot of work to do, and will provide a lot of new and different ways of teaching styles.”
Ross said the only bad news was that didn’t make the AYP by not testing at 95 percent.
“We scored 94.3 percent this is the second year we missed it,” Ross said. “We have plans to address the problem and how to fix the problem. We have placed four teams at each campus to come up with plans where we need to improve and how to do that.”
Lake High School principal Randy Martin said they did okay on the tests but he is never satisfied because there is always room for improvements.
“We have good teachers and will do whatever it takes to make it work on these tests,” Martin said.
Also Ray Perry with Union Public Schools said he was pleased with their test results.
“We exceeded the state average in every category, we worked very hard last year and it really paid off,” Perry said. “It being the first year of these new tests we now know where we need to improve. These tests were much harder than the original tests but we will work toward improving.”
Dr. Hank M. Bounds, State Superintendent of Education says raising the rigor in the curriculum and assessment system will help Mississippi reach the goals set by the Mississippi Board of Education. To reduce the dropout rate to 13 percent by 2013, to reach the national average on national assessments by 2013 and to ensure that all students exit third grade reading on grade level by 2020.
“These are bold goals, but teachers, students, principals, superintendents, board members and parents are all working hard to reach them,” Dr. Bounds said. “We must have high standards if we are going to move this state forward.”