OPI releases Montana test scores

Superintendent of Public Instruction Linda McCulloch recently released 2004-05 test scores for fourth, eighth and 11th-grade students for all Montana schools and school districts. Montana students in all grades scored above the national average in all five subject areas of reading, math, science, language arts and social studies.

"This was the fifth year all Montana students participated in the same tests. Again, Montana students scored well above the national averages in all grades and subject areas," reported McCulloch.

Bigfork students who were tested all received higher than 60 percent at or above proficient in math and reading. Bigfork Elementary percentages notably increased. Bigfork Middle School reading performance spiked 31 percentile points, and virtually stayed the same in math. Bigfork High also recorded a higher reading percentile, with math remaining the same as the previous year.

Montana fourth-grade students, scoring at the combined "proficient" and "advanced" levels, ranged from 80 percent in reading, science, and social studies to 77 percent in language arts. Eighth-grade students at the "proficient" and "advanced" performance levels ranged from 76 percent in science to 68 percent in language arts. Among the 11th-grade students, those at the "proficient" and "advanced" levels ranged from 80 percent in science to 73 percent in language arts and math. This compares to the national average of 60 percent of students performing at the combined "proficient" and "advanced" levels in all subjects and grades.

"Overall scores have remained fairly steady over the past five years. One exception is the fourth-grade math scores. All Montana fourth-grade students improved their math scores by 9 percentile points from 2001 to 2005. The best progress in fourth-grade math was among American Indian students, who improved by 12 percentile points, and students receiving free and reduced cost lunch, who improved by 11 percentile points," McCulloch noted.

"There also are differences in the performance of Montana boys and girls taking the tests. The scores among fourth-grade boys and girls are very similar. The girls receive slightly higher scores in reading and language arts, while boys score slightly higher in math, social studies, and science," McCulloch explained. "This changes in the eighth-grade when girls score higher in all five subjects. The largest differences were in language arts, reading, and science. The 11th-grade girls scored higher in four of the five subjects. The 11th-grade girls scored significantly higher in language arts, social studies, reading, and science. The 11th-grade math scores for boys and girls were the same."

McCulloch stressed that the test scores do not provide a complete picture of Montana students.

"Test scores are only one indicator of student and school success. The basic purpose of testing is to improve learning and teaching. We need to identify and support those programs and strategies that are working. We also need to direct energy and resources to those students that are struggling," McCulloch said.

The Montana Board of Public Education requires all accredited Montana schools to annually report student achievement scores for grades four, eight, and 11 in reading, language arts, math, science and social studies.

The test scores are for the 2004-05 school year. A total of 33,150 Montana fourth, eighth, and 11th-grade students participated in the tests. All fourth and eighth-grade students took the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills and 11th-grade students took the Iowa Tests of Educational Development. It should be noted the federal Family Education Rights and Privacy Act and Montana statutes require certain student information be protected and used only by those persons who have a direct educational responsibility for that student's instruction. Consequently, the release of test scores for any individual school with 10 or fewer students in a grade is not reported.

Reports for each school and school district are available from the Montana Office of Public Instruction on its Web site, http://www.opi.mt.gov/measurement/measurement_Data.html, or in print form. Each school report includes the grade level tested, the number of students taking the test, and the number of students enrolled. Each school report includes four student performance levels ranging from "novice" to "advanced," and a National Percentile Rank for all five subject areas.

In addition, information is available on how different demographic groups of students perform. The student scores are sorted by gender, race, students participating in the free or reduced lunch program, students with disabilities, and students with limited English proficiency.

"When examining the scores, we see there are a variety of factors that impact the results. These scores are a snapshot of our schools at a particular point in time. This is only one additional measure to gain a better understanding of a school's strengths and challenges. It is absolutely critical we use this information in a constructive manner to help all students improve and design programs to meet their needs. It is the goal of every school to continually strive to move each student to higher performance levels," McCulloch said. "Montana test scores, while remaining among the top in the nation, have stabilized while other states continue to improve. If we don't seriously address the very real problems such as a looming educator shortage and inadequate state support for schools, we will very likely see a decline in the quality of the education our children receive."