BOISE -- More than half of Idaho’s students are meeting their individual growth targets according to Fall 2004 Idaho Standards Achievement Tests (ISAT) scores released by the State Board of Education.
Some of the most exciting news this fall is the percent of students meeting individual growth targets in grades 9 and 10 in the state's most at-risk groups. Hispanic or Latino Ethnicity students reached a higher percent of growth rate than the state average in grades 9 and 10 in reading and grades 6 through 10 in language usage. In reading, American Indian/Alaskan Native students exceeded the state average by 12.5% in grade 10. Limited English Proficient, or LEP, students had a higher percent of students meeting individual growth targets than the state average in language usage in grades 6 through 10; in reading in grades 7 and 10; and in math in grades 8, 9 and 10. Students with disabilities exceeded the state average in grade 10 in reading and language usage.
“We are strongly encouraged by the gains made by our at-risk students. Efforts by our teachers to close the achievement gap appear to be working. The growth measures, enabled by our testing system, give us the ability to see the hard work being done behind the scenes,” said Gary Stivers, Executive Director of the State Board of Education. “The number of students meeting individual growth targets is commendable and sets the stage for even larger gains in the future.”
Idaho students in grades 2 through 10 take the ISAT twice a year, fall and spring, in reading, math, and language usage. This is the first release of statewide results identifying the percentage of students meeting their individual growth targets. Spring results identify the percentage of students meeting proficiency or performing at grade level or better.
Individual growth targets are based on the number of RIT or Rash Unit points students should typically gain from one school year to the next. Targets are calculated using data from the ISAT contractor, Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) and are based on the average growth of students with similar RIT scores across the country. Statewide results showed that while more than half of Idaho's students are meeting their individual growth targets, more than 58% of students are meeting at least 75% of their growth targets, and more than 69% of students are meeting at least 50% of their growth targets.
In the reading ISAT, the percentage of students meeting their individual growth targets in the state were 49.1% for 3rd grade, 49.6% for 4th grade, 43% for 5th grade, 53.3 % for 6th grade, 51.9% for 7th grade, 52% for 8th grade, 52.9% for 9th grade and 48.4% for 10th grade.
Math had the second highest rate of students meeting their individual growth targets with an average of 55.5%. By grade, the percent of students meeting their individual growth targets were 54.8% for 3rd grade, 51.4% for 4th grade, 58.7% for 5th grade, 67.4% for 6th grade, 52.9% for 7th grade, 49.3% for 8th grade, 54.3% for 9th grade, and 55.5% for 10th grade.
Language usage had the highest rate of students meeting their individual growth targets with an average of 55.8%. By grade, the percent of students meeting their individual growth targets were 70.1% for 3rd grade, 55.5% for 4th grade, 57.4% for 5th grade, 51.7% for 6th grade, 51.1% for 7th grade, 52% for 8th grade, 54.9% for 9th grade, and 53.7% for 10th grade.
Scores for individual school districts and schools are available on the State Board website: http://www.boardofed.idaho.gov/saa/ISAT_FA04.asp.
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Fall 2004 ISAT Press Kit (PDF)