Districtwide scores on MCAS exams remained in line with state and federal education guidelines, according to school officials.
But elementary and middle school scores on the statewide Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System tests are an "area for concern," according to Jean Kenney, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction.
Under the federal government's No Child Left Behind program, Massachusetts schools must meet "adequate yearly progress" standards, Kenney said. The goal is for all students to score in the top two (advanced or proficient) categories by 2014.
Under this effort, begun in 2002, public schools in the Bay State should have 85.4 percent of their students scoring in the advanced or proficient categories in English Language Arts and 76.5 percent in math in 2007 and 2008.
This was the case in Walpole, Kenney told the board at last night's School Committee meeting.
In English Language Arts, Walpole earned a "very high" performance rating and remained ahead of the pace to get all of its students scoring advanced or proficient by 2014. In math, the district earned a "high" performance rating, and remained merely "on target" to get all its students into the top two categories by the federally mandated deadline.
Before highlighting these positives, school administrators zeroed in on problem areas.
With scores on the statewide standardized tests in hand for almost two weeks, Kenney was able to present a thorough, albeit preliminary, assessment of district strengths and weaknesses.
Grades 5 and 6 scores in both math and English were static, Kenney said. A first look revealed a general weakness in open response questions and short answer problems, she said.
Grade 4 scores are certainly an area for concern, Kenney said. In both English and math, fewer students scored advanced or proficient than in previous years. The district dipped closest to the state averages in these two categories, Kenney pointed out.
Also worrisome, in regard to the grade 4 scores, was the general success that this group of students had as third-graders, Kenney said. In the English test, at least, this may reflect the addition of writing between grades 3 and 4, she said.
Schools must look at the results in the lower grades to determine who struggled and why, school Superintendent Lincoln Lynch said last week. Ultimately, the district must determine "why (some students) didn't do as well as we hoped," he said.
Looking forward, Kenney said the district will further analyze the data, looking more closely at how each grade level is progressing year to year, rather than comparing, for example, one third grade class to another.
The analysis will focus on aligning the curriculum to the test, she said. The math analysis will focus on grades 4 through 8; the English language arts analysis will focus on grades 3 through 6.
Jeb Bobseine can be reached at jeb@walpoletimes.com or 508-668-0243, ext. 13.
