Montpelier Statewide assessment results for Fall 2008 were released by the Vermont Department of Education today. The results are from the New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) exams, given to Vermont public school students in grades three through eight and 11. Students were tested in reading and mathematics in all seven grades, and in writing at grades five, eight and 11 only.
The following table illustrates the percent of Vermont students proficient in the content area by grade span:
Reading
Math
Writing
Elementary School
71%
65%
55%
High School
71%
35%
43%
The good news here is the steady upward trend in scores over the last four years, noted Commissioner Armando Vilaseca. Not only are we seeing increases in student achievement in all content areas, but when we look at the comparisons by socio-economic status, we see that students eligible for free and reduced lunch are increasing achievement as a group and contributing to the overall increase in scores statewide.
For example, at grade 11 the achievement gap in reading between students who receive free and reduced lunch assistance and those who do not was reduced by four percentage points for female students and three percentage points for males. The achievement gap also closed for female students who receive free and reduced lunch by four percentage points in elementary school writing and three percentage points in middle school writing.
Upon receiving the results, the department spoke with administrators in some of the schools that have shown the greatest improvement to understand strategies for improving learning. Four themes emerged: aligning the school curriculum to the state standards; making decisions based on data; using results to inform professional development and helping students understand what the exam means for their school in order to improve motivation.
The NECAP exams were created in collaboration with Rhode Island and New Hampshire. These exams are designed to specifically assess how well Vermont students have learned the skills and content contained in Vermont s Framework of Standards and Learning Opportunities. This is the fourth year of results on the NECAP exams for grades three through eight and the second year for grade 11. As required under the No Child Left Behind Act, a science assessment is given in May in grades four, eight and 11.
For the complete packet of state results, including the Powerpoint from today s press conference, visit http://education.vermont.gov/new/html/dept/press_releases.html. For school-by-school results, visit:
http://www.education.vermont.gov/new/html/pgm_assessment/data.html