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Assuming the district’s student population has similar characteristics (e.g., poverty level, parent education level) at all grade levels, students should perform at equivalent or higher levels on the achievement tests given in different grades. This kind of consistent achievement at different grade levels may be thought of as “value added” achievement. When this does not occur, a more rigorous academic program should be provided at upper grade levels. The most appropriate way to gauge value added achievement in a school district is to follow each group of students as they progress from grade to grade throughout their entire twelve years of schooling. The SchoolMatch team encourages the leadership in the Oxford School District to establish procedures to collect data and monitor progress in this way. In the absence of twelve years’ worth of data on one academic class, the SchoolMatch Audit team considered achievement data at each grade level for one year as a kind of “prism view” of performance across the grade levels in the Oxford School District. The following discussion focuses on an analysis of student performance in the major subject areas of reading and mathematics. The scores presented and discussed in this report were the most recent available at the time the Audit process began. Since then, some 2001-2002 school year test results have been released. Those test results demonstrate patterns similar to previous years: in both reading and mathematics, MCT scores decreased across the grade levels. However, scores rose slightly overall and demonstrated more gradual declines between grade levels. A. Norm-Referenced Tests In 2000-01, students were tested in grades 1-6 on the Terra Nova Achievement Tests. The following Table shows performance across the grade levels in reading and mathematics compared to the cohort mean and effectiveness level:
Reading: In general, district-wide scores in reading decreased until grade four, when performance stays consistent through grade six; scores then dropped eight percentile points in grade seven before rising again slightly in grade eight. Reading scores rose above the mean (50th percentile) in all grades tested, but district-wide reading scores only achieved the cohort effectiveness level (66th percentile) in grades one and two.
Mathematics: In mathematics, district-wide scores increased by 15 percentile points between grades one and two. Scores then declined in grades three and four before rising again in grades five and six. After grade six, scores dropped 10 percentile points, and scores stayed consistent between grades seven and eight. Scores in mathematics achieved or exceeded the cohort mean (50th percentile) in all but grade one, but did not achieve the effectiveness level (66th percentile) in any grade level.
B. Standards-Based Tests The Mississippi Curriculum Test (MCT) is an untimed test based on the Mississippi Curriculum Frameworks. Because state-mandated tests vary greatly from state to state, it is not appropriate to compare results on the Mississippi Curriculum Test to results from other states on their statewide exams. The tables presented below are to be used for consideration and review of performance within the district only. It may be useful to examine performance among schools and relationships to state passing percentages (% of test-takers that met or exceeded state performance standards).
Except for an increase between grades three and four, student performance (as measured by the percent of test-takers who met or exceeded the state standards) in reading generally decreased across the grade levels, with a dramatic drop between sixth and seventh grades. In mathematics, performance generally decreased overall. There was a slight increase in scores between grades five and six, but scores otherwise decreased across the grade levels. It should be noted that the patterns of performance on the MCT across the grade levels in both reading and math are similar to the patterns observed for all MCT-takers statewide. (See Tables 2 and 3.) Oxford’s overall district scores do, however, exceed state averages in both subjects at all grade levels tested. C. Overall Analysis: Norm-Referenced and Standards-Based Test Results In reading, on both sets of tests, scores declined across the grade levels in 2000-2001, with the highest scores occurring in the early primary grades. Value-added achievement does not occur in reading, as measured by the Terra Nova and the MCT. In mathematics, scores improve on the Terra Nova after grade 1, go down between grades 2 and 3, then fluctuate but generally hold steady in grades 3 through 8. On the MCT, mathematics scores decline across the grade levels, with the exception of a slight rise in grade 6. After the dramatic gains in grade 2, mathematics scores return to generally the grade 1 levels in subsequent grades. Value-added achievement does not occur in mathematics.
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