Lawrence sup’t: scores need to improve

Scores on this year’s state math and English Language Arts tests revealed more lows than highs in the Lawrence School District.

There was a continued drop in the percentage of eighth-graders who demonstrated proficiency on the ELA test, scoring at Level 3 or 4. This year, 227 students took the test, and only 43.6 percent passed it. Last year, 54.5 percent of test-takers did so. In 2009 the figure was 69.8 percent.

Just over 49 percent of eighth-graders scored at Level 2 on the ELA exam, meaning that they meet the state’s basic standard but are not proficient in the subject.

Of the 229 seventh-graders who were tested, 43.2 percent scored at Level 2.

“What we are seeing as a result of these scores is what I refer to as a crisis in the classroom, and I have indicated to the board that we need to be focused on the classroom,” said Lawrence Superintendent Gary Schall, adding that the scores he is most concerned about are those of middle school students.

After receiving a more comprehensive analysis of the test from the state, Schall is planning an in-depth review of what questions were answered correctly and incorrectly before making decisions on what the problems might be.

“There is no question at this point in time that instruction is driven by the test,” said Schall, who went on to say that education is more than just sitting and answering questions; it is “looking for a higher order of thinking skills. We don’t want to teach to the test, but we have to use the test to drive instruction.”

Through several decades, the district has undergone a transformative population shift, from students who mostly came from upper- and middle-class families to many who face disadvantages including not having enough food, clothing or proper shelter.

“I don’t believe we have fully recognized where our students are coming from, and what we have to do is provide for them to overcome the disadvantages that many of them face,” Schall said.