"In 4th grade, 79 percent of Idaho students scored at or above grade level on the NAEP Science, compared to 71 percent nationwide. Students in 12 states scored higher than Idaho’s students."
Idaho students performed above the national average in science, according to the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) for science, the only nationally representative measure of what American students know and can do.
Idaho State Department of Education January 25, 2011 News Release
This is very good news for Idaho and we're sure to see this information quite a bit during the Idaho Legislative session while the school budget is under review.
This press release represents an average of Idaho's 4th graders. It does not break down then numbers by specific schools but statistics tell a different story.
Whitney is considered a Title I school, or a High Poverty school. The statistics and how they determine the outcomes for our children are not as reflective in the "good news" of the latest standard science testing markers.
-On average, those eligible for free or reduced lunch scored 15 points lower than those who were not eligible for free or reduced lunch.
-The difference in scores between White and Hispanic students tells a different story as well. White students averaged scores of 158 and Hispanic students averaged scores of 127 on the same exam.
Nationwide here is how Idaho compares to the top and the bottom:
-Idaho's 75th Percentile and 25th Percentile look like this: 175 and 134
| -California's 75th Percentile and 25th Percentile look like this: 164 and 111 (49th in the US) - New Hampshire: 75th Percentile and 25th Percentile look like this: 182 and 145 (1st in the US) Mississippi came in 50th place but I chose California for this Blog because many of us are familiar with California's own budget problems. What can budget cutbacks in other states predict for Idaho's public schools? "On average, students from high-poverty schools did not perform as well on National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading, mathematics, music, and art assessments as students from low-poverty schools." http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2010/2010028.pdf Why would students in high-poverty schools not perform as well on assessments? It turns out, these are just numbers. They are important numbers but the numbers do not tell the whole story. For example, look at the fictional case of a student that does not speak English taking an assessment in English. This student likely will not perform as well on the assessment in English as they would in their native language. This student needs English language development, which requires more funds for more teachers, assistants and resources. To increase Whitney's scoring we need more resources, not fewer. The time is long gone to assume that just because a student comes from a high-poverty school means that they will never go to college or graduate from high school. When our children took their first steps and said their first words, nothing separated them from their contemporaries in terms of what they could someday achieve. What people try to convince them they should be of based on how they look, where they came from or who they are makes a difference for better and for worse. When we, as parents, stay engaged with our student's academic progress, give them love, enouragement and tell them everyday to keep on trying, then the sky is the limit. What we need to do now is to encourage the government to keep on trying to meet their Constitutional mandate. How can we do that? To make your voice heard on the school budget, the PTO has postcards addressed in the office for YOU to take home with you, fill out and send to your representative. For District 17 that's Sue Chew and for District 18 (the east side of Hervey street) that's Julie Ellsworth. You can email these representatives, call them or send them a longer letter. You can also send letters to Tom Luna, Idaho Superintendent of Education "In 2008, among young adults ages 25–34 who worked full time throughout a full year, those with a bachelor’s degree earned 28 percent more than young adults with an associate’s degree, 53 percent more than young adult high school completers, and 96 percent more than young adults who did not earn a high school diploma. The median of the earnings for young adults with a bachelor’s degree was $46,000; for those with an associate’s degree, $36,000; for high school completers, $30,000; and for those who did not earn a high school diploma or equivalent certificate, $23,500." http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=77 |
-Whitney Parent
Nikki Rutledge
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