Downward Trend For Elmhurst D205 Students
ELMHURST, IL – Elmhurst’s eighth graders are likelier to do worse than younger students on reading tests when compared to their counterparts nationally, statistics show.
That’s not the case in math.
On Tuesday, Elmhurst School District 205 board members saw a downward trend in reading scores for students from kindergarten through eighth grade.
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For kindergarten, the median student in Elmhurst scored as well as or better than 87 percent of their grade-level peers nationally. That dropped to 77 percent in first grade and then to 67 percent by sixth grade, staying about that level through eighth.
All combined, the median student from kindergarten to eighth grade performed on reading tests as well as or better than 73 percent of their grade-level peers nationally.
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“That kind of sloping trend is something that is not new this spring, but something we’ve seen in previous iterations of the same assessment,” said Jacob Wertz, the district’s research director.
Board member Jim Collins asked whether the district has the same data showing how a particular grade’s scores track over time. In reply, Wertz said he had not looked at the figures in that exact manner.
For math scores, District 205’s students from kindergarten to eighth grade were more consistent.
According to the data, the median kindergartner scores as well as or better than 86 percent of their grade-level peers nationally. That rate moves between 80 percent and 87 percent for the next four years.
Then it drops to 77 percent for fifth and sixth graders and rises to 80 percent and 82 percent for seventh and eighth graders, respectively.
All combined, Elmhurst’s median student from kindergarten through eighth performed in math as well as or better than 82 percent of their peers nationally.
“We have seen great improvement year over year,” Collins said. “What do you attribute that to?”
Wertz said it was the result of investments made in “high-quality” instructional materials, the professional learning plan, and work with leaders and educators.
Source: Elmhurst School District 205
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