LIBERTY — Amite County Superintendent of Schools Debbie Hopf summed up the school district’s standardized test scores in eight words — “we’ve got a lot of work to do.”
As they have for the past three years, Amite County students in the third through eighth grades finished below the state average on the Mississippi Curriculum Test, Second Edition, which tests their math and language skills.
With the exception of U.S. history, Amite County High School students finished below the state average on the Subject Area Test, which tests high school students in Algebra I, U.S. history, Biology I and English II.
But there is cause for optimism. Hopf said the scores showed improvement, with more high school students passing in 2008-’09 compared to the year before.
“In the elementary schools, we did see some improvements in reading and math,” she said. “And these are more difficult tests. But in some ways, we did not make a big change in reading scores at the elementary level.”
Overall, the average scores in the third, sixth and seventh grades improved in reading and math, with the eighth-grade language score improving over last year.
At Liberty Elementary, one of Amite County’s two elementary schools, third- and fourth-grade language scores were up from last year, while language scores in the fifth and seventh grades were lower than 2007-’08 scores. Sixth-grade language scores did not change, while eighth-grade scores improved.
Math scores for Liberty’s third- and seventh-graders improved from last year, while the fourth, fifth, sixth and eighth grade scores were lower.
At Gloster Elementary, language scores for the third, sixth, seventh and eighth grades improved over last year, while scores in the fourth and fifth grades dropped from 2007-’08.
Math scores for Gloster’s sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders improved, while scores in the third, fourth and fifth grades were lower than last year’s.
Hopf said the problems involving the elementary test scores seem to be in the same place at both schools.
“You can’t point to one class or point to one teacher and say, ‘Here’s the problem,’ ” Hopf said. “It’s something across the board. We need to take a look teaching methods and programs development.”
She said school officials are trying to determine what was done to cause the improvements in the language and scores in the third, sixth and seventh grades.
“We have not made a lot of changes in the programs they have been using,” Hopf said. “Some of these programs have been in use for several years, and it’s possible that the programs may have helped.”
She said the teacher support program, which helps students who are identified as struggling or falling behind in a particular subject, may have contributed to the increase in scores.
The program identifies students who are struggling and develops intensive instruction to help them improve.
“The student gets the regular classroom instruction and then gets further tutoring and intervention at a higher level,” Hopf said,
With the exception of Biology I, the percentage passing the Subject Area Tests at Amite County High School increased over 2007-’08, in some cases greatly exceeding last year’s numbers.
One of the biggest changes was in Algebra I, where more than half of the students taking the test passed. Less than half passed the test in 2007-’08.
In U.S. History, 97.1 percent passed the test in 2008-’09, while 88.5 percent passed the year before.
Hopf said she plans to meet with school administrators to determine the best way to raise test scores, adding that she has already met with Mary Russ, the school system’s special programs coordinator, to see what programs are available.
Hopf said officials plan to coordinate programs with administrators and teachers to develop a system that will track student progress from elementary through high school.
“That way, a teacher can look at the student’s problem spots and take action and put in more intense work on weak areas to improve them,” she said. “We’re trying to be proactive.
“We want to make sure the programs we use will be consistent with the other programs we are using now and will obtain the goal the system is working for,” Hopf said. “And it will be something that will stick through high school to get the same results. Not a group of programs aimed at different areas.”ing to be proactive.
“We want to make sure the programs we use will be consistent with the other programs we are using now and will obtain the goal the system is working for,” Hopf said. “And it will be something that will stick through high school to get the same results. Not a group of programs aims at different areas.”
