The Board of Education heard its annual Student Achievement and Performance Report for 2016-17, which showed some remarkable test scores and student growth. Students continue to outperform the vast majority of school districts in the state, including those attending comparable school districts.
The report detailed three assessments: The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers or PARCC test, the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) Measures of Academic Performance (MAP) tests and the 5Essentials. Here is a synopsis of each:
PARCC
PARCC is a state test given annually that measures student performance in grades 3-8. The results look at attainment of student skills and growth. On this test, Butler District 53 students performed at a national percentile of 99.4 percent in both English Language Arts (ELA) and math. Overall, on ELA tests, 79 percent of students met or exceeded standards, which placed them in the category of “distinguished.” On math scores, overall 76.3 percent of District 53 students met or exceeded standards, again ranking them as “distinguished.”
NWEA MAP
NWEA MAP test is adaptive, adjusting to each student’s performance, and measures what students know and informs what they’re ready to do. Students K-8 are tested at the beginning of the year and at the end of year. Many students in Butler District 53 are performing two or more grade levels above their peers nationally. The test measures student growth over time and looks at whether students are sustaining growth related to their high levels of achievement. Overall, on the 2016-17 MAP, 63 percent of students in reading and 66 percent of students in math met their typical growth targets. That compares to the national average of 50 percent of students who meet their growth targets.
5Essentials
The 5Essentials survey was given to teachers, parents and junior high students. It looks at five areas of the schools related to organization and climate – ambitious instruction, effective leaders, collaborative teachers, involved families and supportive environment. Overall, results show that classes are challenging and engaging, families are highly involved, and the school is safe and supportive. The highest performing indicator was “involved families” followed by supportive environment and collaborative teachers.