Nebraska State Reading Test
by Carol Braun
September 01, 2010
Recently, the scores of the NeSA (Nebraska State Accountability)-Reading test were released. It is important for us to consider not only the results, but also the background and purpose of the test.
In April of 2009, the State Board of Education adopted a new set of Language Arts standards, which encompassed the areas of Reading, Writing, Speaking/Listening, and Multiple Literacies. Southern, as well as most other schools around the state, spent summer months getting acquainted with the standards and working diligently to align their curriculum with the standards in preparation for April 2010, when 3rd – 8th and 11th grade students around the state would be required to take a newly developed, high stakes state test.
Fast Forward to August 2010 – the release of the NeSA scores that show Southern students scored below the state average on the test. Although the reality of the scores is glaring, we have to consider this: Did Southern go from being a nationally recognized 2008 BLUE RIBBON SCHOOL to falling below average in two years? No single test score can tell the full story about an individual student or a school. Let’s look at the story behind the numbers.
The philosophy at Southern is that instructional decisions are based on data. Teachers keep extensive records of student performance in the areas of Reading, Language and Spelling. Additionally, the students are given numerous “benchmark” assessments throughout the year to determine growth. When we look at the data student by student, we see significant gains across the board. Having a Special Education population nearly twice the state average, we committed to making a change in 2006. In that year, which was the first year we implemented the Reading Mastery curriculum in grades K – 3, an average of 21% of those students needed intensive support according to DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills). Today, we are able to boast that only an average of 6% of our K – 3 students fall into the category of intensive needs. In 2007, we brought grades 4 – 6 on board with our Direct Instruction curriculum. We have seen the average go from 30% of the students needing intensive support to 21%. Do we have room for improvement? Absolutely. Closing the learning gap takes time. Do the NeSA scores, a snapshot of one moment in time, discourage us from staying the course? Absolutely not.
Onward toward NeSA 2011. Teachers and administrators are looking at ways to bring the scores up. We plan to better prepare students for the online format of the test. We continue to work on identifying language differences between the standards and our curriculum so teachers can adjust their teaching accordingly. We will still offer individually assigned intervention time to those who need it. We plan to become more intense in the areas of comprehension and vocabulary in all subject areas. Last of all – we plan to continue to offer the same positive learning environment and will hold our heads high as we embark on a new year.
Links to additional information:
http://www.education.ne.gov/
http://www.omaha.com/article/20100825/NEWS01/100829813
