Sept. 4, 2001

For more information, contact:
Mickey Schoonover
Director of School-Community Relations
(314) 213-8025
Mike Fulton
Assistant Superintendent, Planning & Assessment
(314) 213-8009


Pattonville MAP scores show progress over time

A longitudinal look at Pattonville’s Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) test scores indicates growth in virtually all subject areas since the district began tracking MAP scores in 1998.

Students taking the MAP can score at one of five levels: advanced, proficient, nearing proficiency, progressing and Step 1. A district’s improvement is demonstrated by increasing the number of students scoring in the top two levels (advanced and proficient) and decreasing the number of students scoring in the bottom two levels (progressing and Step 1) on a particular test.

“While we are pleased with some of the gains our students have achieved in certain areas, we know we still have much work to do in order to reach our goal that all students are proficient or advanced in all content areas,” said Dr. Hugh Kinney, Superintendent. “With our parents, teachers, community and board working together, we know we can achieve our goals for our children’s success.”

What follows are some highlights from the spring 2001 results:

• The percentage of students scoring advanced and proficient districtwide increased in six areas: elementary math (up 3 percent), science (up 8 percent) and social studies (up 8 percent); middle school communication arts (up 5 percent) and science (up 2 percent); and high school social studies (up 5 percent).
  
  
• Pattonville has also shown progress by moving students out of the lowest two levels. The percentage of students scoring progressing or Step 1 decreased in eight areas: elementary math (down 4 percent) and social studies (down 6 percent); middle school communication arts (down 7 percent), science (down 2 percent) and social studies (down 5 percent); and high school communication arts (down 8 percent), science (down 4 percent) and social studies (down 5 percent).
  
  
• From the time Pattonville began taking the MAP tests in 1998 to the most recent results, the district has decreased the percentage of students scoring at the lowest two levels in ALL content areas at ALL grade levels. In addition, the district has increased the percentage of students scoring at the top two levels in ALL BUT ONE content area. In other words, Pattonville has seen improvement in 23 out of 24 possible comparison areas.
  
  
• Pattonville elementary students scored better than their peers statewide in ALL content areas and in all areas where comparisons could be made (percentage of students moving OUT of Progressing and Step 1 levels, as well as percentage of students moving into the Advanced and Proficient levels).
  
  
• In three elementary content areas, two Pattonville schools demonstrated what the state of Missouri considers “high performance” - 50 percent or more students scoring in the top two levels, with 5 percent or fewer scoring at the lowest two levels. Schools achieving this designation were: Carrollton Oaks (82 percent advanced and proficient and 2 percent in progressing and step 1 in science) and Remington Traditional School (65 percent advanced and proficient and 5 percent in progressing and step 1 in elementary math AND 86 percent advanced and proficient and 5 percent in progressing and step 1 in elementary social studies).
  
  
• More Pattonville middle school students scored advanced and proficient than their peers statewide in communication arts and social studies. In addition, fewer Pattonville middle schoolers were scoring in the lowest two levels in these areas when compared to the state results. Although middle school scores in math and science were near state average, Pattonville must continue its efforts to boost the achievement in these areas.
  
  
• Fewer Pattonville High School students scored at the lowest two levels in communication arts than their peers statewide, and 8 percent fewer Pattonville students scored at these levels than the previous year. In addition, a 5 percent growth was seen in the percentage of high school students scoring advanced and proficient in social studies and a 5 percent decrease occurred in the number of students scoring in the bottom two levels. Although scores in other content areas were near state average, Pattonville must significantly increase our efforts to raise student achievement at the high school level, especially in the areas of math and science.
  

The strategies Pattonville is using to improve student achievement include: training every teacher on how to incorporate reading, writing and thinking into every subject; and implementing the essential curriculum, a document that provides a sequenced outline for teachers, parents and students of the most essential concepts and skills that children need to learn in order to be academically successful.