Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Nevada students fare well on tests

When the 2004-2005 school year opened at Nevada there were questions about how students would respond to the new dress code.

First day results, according to Frank Bradley, Nevada principal, were good as only 14 students showed up not wearing uniforms. These students were sent to the office and written up.

The biggest problem, he said, was baggy pants being worn by the boys. There were problems with the color of shirts and style of pants being worn

However, the number was halved by the second day, and further reduced by the third day of class.

It was said it appears as though the elementary students are color coordinating their outfits on a daily basis because of how they show up at school.

Following the uniform update, Bradley talked about the Benchmark test results. The bad news, he said, is geometry is the weakest area for students in math. They scored slightly below the regional average. But, he added, over a three-year period, the students have shown a consistent increase.

In literature the students tested ahead of the region and were five points behind the state average. Again, he said, there has been steady improvement in the scores.

Students scored ahead of the region in Algebra I, and were six points below state average in this area.

Sandra Browning discussed the test scores for the elementary side. Reminding those present the "magic number" is 200, she said eighth grade math students scored 162, while the region average is 177. In literacy, the eighth graders scored 193.

For sixth graders, the math score was 204, while literacy was 202. The scores were better in both for fourth grade, with literature being 214 and math being an impressive 296.

"The students and teachers are to be commended for their efforts," she said.

Bradley said when looking at the individual test scores several students missed proficiency by two to four points. This, he added, means they missed part of a problem, otherwise the scores would have been above the state average. "I'm pleased with the results and excited about what I'm seeing."

Browning told the audience when using the term "region" it meant the Southwest Arkansas region composed of all the schools in the 17 counties served by the Southwest Arkansas Educational Cooperative. "It's a large area," she said, "and some counties have several schools."