Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Students fared well on tests

Scores for the Benchmark Tests in the Prescott School District have been rising.

The rise has been slow, but steady.

At the regular monthly meeting of the Prescott School Board Tuesday, Sept. 18, the panel was updated on how the students are doing on these tests.

Janet Gordon discussed the fourth grade results, reminding the board the tests have only been around for three years.

The problem area for students, she said, is math, where 37 percent of the fourth graders taking the exam showed proficiency.

Regionally, this figure was 47 percent, while it was 48 percent statewide.

Gordon reminded the board she was talking about three different groups of students over the three-year period, as the tests are given at grade levels four, eight and 10, not for all students in the district.

The figure dropped to 30 percent in 2000, but rose to 37 percent for the spring of 2001.

On the other hand, Prescott's fourth graders did well on the literacy portion, with 51 percent showing proficiency in 2000. The figure was 41 percent in the region and only 43 percent statewide.

The numbers show Prescott's fourth graders above the 50th percentile all three years in literacy.

The Arkansas Department of Education releases a certain number of items showing where a district is strong or weak. Prescott is weak in three areas of math.

Gordon said the teachers are looking at the weak spots and taking steps to correct the problem by improving the curriculum. Students also practice on released items from the ADE so they'll have an idea on what areas improvement is needed in.

Superintendent Ron Wright said students used to take MAT-9 tests, but now have to take the SAT-9 tests. The SAT-9 is a norm referencing test comparing children on a national level.

Prescott students, he said, continue to make strides on the SAT-9 exam.

The Benchmark Test, he continued, is a criteria referencing test, assessing instructional objectives. "The state has raised the bar high."

Part of the problem, Gordon said, is students can have the right answer on the test, but not get full credit because they weren't able to show how they arrived at it.

The questions used in the math portion are word problem requiring a different method of thinking.

Jayme Barnes discussed the eighth grade results, telling the board this is a time of high hormones for the students as they are entering puberty and their minds aren't necessarily on the tests.

The math scores were in the 15th percentile for Prescott, and not much better for the region or state. Regionally, the numbers were 20 percent, while they were 21 percent statewide.

Students again did better in literacy than math as the figures rose from 20 percent in 2000 to 30 percent by 2001.

Paula Cossey updated the board on what has been going on at Prescott High School.

She said faculty and students both enjoyed the arena scheduling, with the students knowing exactly what they'd be taking in the fall. The district offers 80 subject areas at the high school level.

Teachers, she said, have been attending a lot of workshops, especially technical ones, as they work on the East Lab. This computer lab means the district now has more software available to it for the students.

Students, she continued, are doing more community volunteer work, but the faculty and administration has more expectations from them in the classrooms, as education is stressed for their future.

James Cannon, the district's agriculture teacher, was, for the second year, recognized as the outstanding ag teacher in the district, with Prescott also having the District Program of the Year.

Cannon said the district came close to winning the state award. These honors, he continued, are due to the work of the students, as they are active in the program. He pointed out there are 45 schools in the Southwest Arkansas district competing for these honors.

He updated the board on the progress of the greenhouse, saying the electrical work should be finished soon. When this is done and the sprayers are installed, the greenhouse will be operational.

Cannon hasn't ordered any plants for the facility yet, saying until it's finished he didn't want to take a chance on losing any plants.

Cannon will be taking a group of his Future Farmer of America students to the National Convention in Louisville, Ken., Oct. 24-28.

The students raised the money for the trip, so the district won't be out any funds for it, other than allowing a bus and driver to go.

Cannon will be attending the National Association of Career and Technical Educators convention in New Orleans Dec. 12-16. He is the state secretary of this organization.

The board also accepted bids for seating for the new gym. Two companies had submitted bids, Interstate School Supplies and R.J. Love Enterprises.

While Love had the lowest bid, the board went with Interstate because of the higher quality product involved.

Love's bid was $48,596, while the Interstate bid was $54,868.

Wright said the seats from Interstate attach to the back of the seat foundation, where Love's attached to the floor. This will make keeping the gym clean easier.