Below Average Reading Growth For LCPS Students: Progress Report

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — A progress report from Loudoun County Public Schools showed mixed results for students in math and reading. Superintendent Aaron Spence presented the report to the Loudoun County School Board at their meeting on Tuesday night.

The Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) report used two primary measures in math and reading: achievement percentile and conditional growth percentile.

The achievement percentile compares a student's performance to similar students across the country. A score of 72 would show that the student performed better than 72 percent of similar students across the country.

Similarly, the conditional growth percentile compares a student's improvement from one school year to the next. A score of 72 would show that the student's growth was greater than 72 percent of similar students across the country.

The report took math and reading scores from every elementary and middle school in the county. High school students do not take an MAP reading test, but they do take a math assessment.

Here are the achievement percentile scores from the MAP report:

• Elementary Schools
  • Math: 61.58
  • Reading: 61.64

• Middle Schools
  
  • Math: 63.55
  • Reading: 63.19
• High Schools
  
  • Math: 48.36

In the school board presentation, Spence also noted that different student groups performed differently on the assessments. Hispanic students, students with disabilities, and English language learners had lower than average scores in reading and math.

The school system also calculated the conditional growth scores for the entire division. The growth scores were not broken down by grade level.

• Conditional Growth Percentile
  
  • Math: 54.0
  • Reading: 49.6

Specific achievement scores are now available online through the LCPS website.