|  | Saint Paul Public Schools fall test results show gains
1/27/2000 10:25 AMSaint Paul Public Schools Superintendent Patricia Harvey today released fall test results that show gains at most schools and at nearly every grade level tested. The results of the Metropolitan Achievement Test, seventh edition (MAT7), show that Saint Paul Public Schools are on the right track with improvement efforts, Harvey said.
“When we expect the most from our students, they will show us that they are learning and making progress,” Harvey said. “From the start of this school year, our students and staff knew they would be held accountable for results. The first look at our test results shows that their hard work is paying off.”
Among the highlights of the fall MAT7 results:
• Reading scores are up in grades two, three, five, six and seven, and second grade reading scores are the highest since 1993.
• Math scores are up in grades two, three, four, five, six and seven, and fifth grade math scores now exceed national norms.
• More students in all ethnic groups are scoring at the average or above-average level and fewer at the below-average level.
• Students who have attended the same Saint Paul public school for the past three years generally score higher on the MAT7 than do other students.
• The growth rate of Saint Paul students eligible for free or reduced-price meals exceeds the national norm in all but four schools. The four schools, however, matched the national growth rate in achievement.
• In all elementary schools, students receiving English language services gained at rates greater than the national norm.
• Students who attended the mandatory third grade reading camp showed higher gains than other students in the same grade.
“We have much more work to do,” Harvey said. “But this is an outstanding beginning. The true measure of our success will be later this year, when we receive results from the spring round of our MAT7 tests and can compare them to these fall results. That is when we will be able to see the progress of all of our efforts to improve schools and help students achieve at greater levels.”
The fall MAT7 results also indicate that the school district’s accountability plan is having an impact, Harvey said. The results show:
• Seven of the nine Category III (academic probation) schools at the elementary/junior high level showed gains (Daytons Bluff, East Consolidated, Maxfield, North End, Parkway, Riverview and Humboldt Junior High)
• Five of the Category III elementary schools showed a substantial decrease in the number of students scoring below average (Daytons Bluff, East Consolidated, North End, Parkway and Riverview).
• More than half of the elementary and junior/middle Category II schools showed gains, with Roosevelt showing a four-year improvement trend.
• Eleven of the 18 elementary and junior/middle Category I schools showed improvement.
For more information about the Saint Paul Public Schools fall MAT7 test results, including school results, see the Saint Paul Public Schools Web site at www.spps.org.
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