For the first time, students across Nebraska took the same grade-level tests to gauge their proficiency on state reading standards last April-May. Test results were recently released to schools and media across the state. I wanted to take this opportunity to inform the parents, patrons and stakeholders of the district of how the students at Ord Public Schools performed on the test. More than 147,000 students took the test, 84 percent online. The statewide tests are a result of legislation that became mandatory as part of a 2007 law. The reading tests cost nearly $5 million to implement, of which about two-thirds was paid for by federal money, according to Pat Roschewski, assessment director for the Nebraska Department of
Education. Students in non-public schools are not required to take the assessment.
Students performance scores are measured in three ways, students either met the standards, exceeded the standards, or were below standards. As a district, 86% of Ord Public School Students met or exceeded the standards. The Lincoln Journal Star recently released a ranking of 203 of the 250 public schools in the state this past week. Ord Public schools ranked #2 in the state. Parents of students in the district will all be receiving individual reports on their students’ performance as soon as they are prepared.
Obviously this is something we feel very proud of, and are very excited about the performance of our students. We feel this says a lot about the quality of the reading program we offer at Ord Public Schools, the quality of the staff we have delivering the program, and the value placed on reading in the home. We also recognize that this means we still have work to do. We will continue to have expectations of reaching 100% of our students meeting or exceeding the standards.
Something to keep in mind is that these tests represent an event happening at a certain time on a certain day. Essentially it is comparable to a “Polaroid picture”, a snapshot of a certain performance at one particular time. Scores may change from year to year for a variety of reasons. Students who work hard in school, attend regularly and read during free time and over the summer typically show overall improvement as they progress through the years.
