06/17/10

Scores from ISTEP testing given in March for Indiana public school students were released Wednesday morning.

According to information on the Department of Education website, this is only the second time the exam was administered in the spring during two assessment windows. The testing was done between March 1-10 and April 26-May 5.

Plymouth Superintendent Daniel Tyree had access to only the Plymouth School ISTEP results a few days ago, but was bound by rules that prohibit releasing scores until the Department of Education holds an official press conference.

Tyree said, “It’s exciting to see the 2010 ISTEP scores for the corporation. The scores for Plymouth Schools increased at every grade level and in each subject from a low of 3 percent to a high of 14 percent.” Statistically, any increase over 3 percent is considered significant.

 Corporation wide, the third grade scores in Language Arts went from 81 percent passing in 2009 to 87 percent passing in 2010. Similar increases in other grades were as follows: Fourth grade, 75 percent to 89 percent; fifth grade, 71 percent to 85 percent; sixth grade, 73 percent to 82 percent; seventh grade 70 percent to 77 percent; and eighth grade, 69 percent to 72 percent.

The math scores showed similar results. In 2009, the third grade class had 73 percent passing and that score increased to 83 percent in 2010. Increase in other grades were as follows: Fourth grade, 81 percent to 92 percent; fifth grade, 80 percent to 89 percent; sixth grade, 73 percent to 81 percent; seventh grade, 82 percent to  86 percent; and eighth grade, 74 percent t o 83 percent.

Testing in social studies was administered to both the fifth and seventh grade classes. In 2009, the fifth grade had 65 percent passing and raised that figure to 68 percent in 2010. Seventh grade students went from 70 percent to 73 percent passing.

The science exam was administered to grades four and six. The Plymouth scores increased from 78 percent in 2009 to 85 percent in 2010 for fourth grade and 60 percent to 69 percent in the sixth grade.

State averages at each grade level are as follows: Third grade language arts, 79 percent and in math 75 percent; fourth grade language arts 77 percent and math 75 percent; fifth grade, 71 percent in language arts and 80 percent tin math; sixth grade, 72 percent in language arts and 77 percent in math; seventh grade, 72 percent in language arts and 73 percent in math; and eighth grade, 69 percent in language arts and 72 percent in math. State average for the social studies portion was 64 percent and the science, 58 percent.