Report Cards Are Out For State Standardized Tests

Preliminary results from the latest round of Missouri Assessment Program, or MAP testing were released Thursday by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Students in third through eighth grade take the MAP test in math and reading each spring. The tests fulfill requirements laid out under the No Child Left Behind Act, a program that is designed to have 100 percent of students testing at grade level by the year 2014.

State benchmarks get more difficult the closer it gets to 2014. This year, in order to meet the goals and make "Adequate Yearly Progress," Missouri schools had to have 72.5 percent of students test at grade level in math and 75.5 percent test at grade level in reading.

In Pattonville district-wide, students did not meet annual proficiency targets. At the school level, Willow Brook Elementary in Creve Coeur came up short against those targets after having met them in 2010.

Just 92 of the 557 districts in the state met the benchmarks for achievement in math and reading this year. Nearly 75 percent of schools across the state failed to meet the mark. When schools fail to meet the goals, they face sanctions that range from having to pay for additional tutoring for students to allowing students to switch schools.

In Pattonville's case, sanctions include offering "school choice" to students at Bridgeway Elementary, Drummond Elementary and Parkwood Elementary School. Tim Pecoraro, the Assistant Superintendent, Curriculum and Instruction said letters went out to impacted families on Monday. 

Students are being given the option of transferring to Rose Acres Elementary. A similar situation presented itself last year, and Pecoraro said 14 students opted to move.

Area educators say that while the MAP tests are helpful in determining areas of strength and areas on which to focus, the test results and sanctions don't necessarily reflect the effort in the classroom.

Pecoraro pointed to end of year tests which show improvement in a variety of subjects, and said that there were things to be proud of as the district shows gains over the last three years.

Overall, the percent of Missouri students scoring proficient on both math and reading tests has gone up, however. On the state reading tests, the percent of students testing at grade level rose from 53.6 percent 2010 to 54.6 in 2011. On math tests, 54.2 percent of students scored proficient, up from 52.7 in 2010.

Patch is working to bring you reaction from administrators in Ladue and the Parkway School district.