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Test scores to be proud of!  Share
The No Child Left Behind Act set American schools on a course of perfection which must be met by the 2013-2014 school year. Testing of various grades takes place in April each year and preliminary scores are released in August. In U.S. high schools, test scores from only juniors count toward meeting AYP. AYP (adequate yearly progress) is the predetermined percentage of students whose test scores must meet or exceed the state standard. This year will prove especially difficult for schools because the percentage of students who must pass has been raised from 62.5% to 70%. By the deadline in 2014, 100% of students must meet the standard or the school will be considered 'failing.' During the 2008-2009 school year, BHS school improvement plans called for the purchase of an interactive practice system for the Work Keys portion of the test. After using the program with several students, Beecher High School tested its juniors for two days; the first day was the ACT, and the second day was the Work Keys Test. Preliminary results show that in reading, 72.1% of students met AYP and in math, 61.6% met AYP.
Although math fell short of the goal of 70%, BHS recorded a phenomenal increase of 11.1% in math and 11.9% in reading over last year's scores. Brian Wright, BHS principal, was pleased with the results because the school ''made significant progress toward our local goal of sustained growth over time.'' The Elementary and Junior High Schools indicated that they met the AYP as established by No Child Left Behind. John Jennings, BJHS principal, reported stable scores for sixth through eighth grades on the ISAT tests with 93.7 % of students meeting or exceeding state standards in reading and 91.8% of students meeting or exceeding in math. Linda Goedke, BES principal, said her good results include all students, even limited English and special education students. BES scores were 88.6% in reading and 93.4% in math. Reading scores had increased significantly during 2007-2008, and Goedke was delighted that the scores remained at that high level this past testing period. Dawn Wolf is a reporter for Russell Publications.
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