Libby students score above average

By Paul Boring Western News Reporter

A newly designed state test administered last year to Libby students for the first time showed elementary school pupils scoring well above state averages in math and middle school students scoring above average in reading.

The Criterion-Referenced Test, which is contextually tailored for Montana, will be used by the federal government in conjunction with the National Assessment of Education Progress, to determine if the respective schools and districts are complying with the stringent No Child Left Behind legislation.

The CRT differs from the familiar Iowa Tests of Basic Skills in its measurement of the student¹s ability to apply knowledge and employ complex reasoning. The ITBS uses multiple-choice questions exclusively to determine the degree of foundational knowledge.

³A student may be proficient in basic facts, but not in application,² said Jael Prezeau, district curriculum director. ³This test is a diagnostic, focused response to critical thinking.²

Although some districts have used a form of CRTs for years, the government will now use the test results to determine if adequate yearly progress is being made in terms of student proficiency.

The Montana CRT was developed last year by a New Hampshire-based independent test development company called Measured Progress, with the help of state administrators and instructors, including a handful of Libby district employees.

³It was very nice to have Libby educators help with the process,² said Superintendent Kirby Maki. ³If I have a question about the proficiency standards, I know who to ask.²

Prezeau, who is a member of the Montana assessment team, was impressed with the broad scope of the test and the Montana-specific language used. The handpicked group involved in determining the proficiency levels of the test actually took the exam themselves.

³We had to take the test, grade our own test, and then we could admit how we did,² Prezeau said. ³This is an impressive test. It was sobering.²

Last year¹s CRT tested reading and math proficiency, using a combination of multiple-choice and constructed response questions. For the latter questions, students were required to write an essay or solve mathematical problems while showing his or her work.

³This is the ideal way to test the ability to apply, not the ability to guess,² Prezeau said.

Libby elementary school students recently showed marked improvements in the ITBS scores. The CRT results were even more auspicious.

At the elementary school level, 54 percent of the students were found proficient in math on the CRT, compared to the state average of 44 percent. In reading, 68 percent of the students were proficient, which was one percent greater than the state average.

Eighth grade students showed a similarly heightened aptitude with 68 percent of the students proficient in math and 69 percent in reading, exceeding state averages by 4 and 11 percent, respectively.

³It¹s very promising,² Prezeau said. ³I¹m very heartened by it.²

³This is proof that we¹re on the right path,² Maki added.²

At the high school levels, proficiency in both subjects was below the state average. Prezeau said the disparity between the high school scores and the middle and elementary school scores could be attributed to the lower grade levels using a revamped curriculum.

High school students did not have the benefit of the improved curriculum now installed at the elementary and middle school grades.

³The high school scores may reflect the previous curriculum energy,² she said.

With the CRT scores tallied, the district will now be able to determine where to focus its energies academically. The CRT breakdowns for each grade level will be effective in identifying certain subject areas to reinforce and will even identify particular students who are struggling.

³Last year we gave the ITBS first and then the CRTs,² Maki said. ³This year we¹ll give the CRTs first. We¹re going to try different things and see what works best.²