Results Online
Complete results are on the Department of Public Instruction's Web site at www.dpi.state.wi.us. Click on the link to WINSS Web site, and then click on Data Analysis.
MONROE - Wisconsin school children scored about the same on statewide tests in reading and math this year.
Results released Friday showed that reading scores for elementary, middle and high school grades all remained unchanged this year compared to last. Math scores increased one point in the elementary grades, dropped one point in middle grades and dropped two points in 10th grade.
Monroe schools, on the whole, fared well on the tests.
"Overall, Monroe did very well," said Jennifer Thayer, Director of Curriculum and Instruction. The district scored at or above the state average in all subjects across all grade levels.
In reading scores for third-graders, for example, 86 percent scored proficient or advanced, compared with the 79.5 percent across the state. In 10th grade, 85 percent were proficient or advanced, while 74.6 percent scored in those categories statewide.
"Math keeps coming up as a strength," she said in reviewing test scores.
Eighty-eight percent of Monroe sixth-graders scored proficient or advanced, well above the 75.8 of sixth-grade students across the state. For math, 84 percent of seventh-graders were in the top two categories, compared to 76.9 across the state.
One area that needs improvement is language arts, which encompasses writing, grammar and speech.
"The language scores are not where we would like them to be," she said, noting the district is working on curriculum changes to help improve student performance.
Language arts, along with science and social studies, is only tested in fourth, eighth and 10th grade. In Monroe, 75 percent of fourth-graders scored proficient or advanced and 71 percent of 10th-graders did; across the state, 75 percent of fourth-graders and 70 percent of 10th-graders did.
Monroe also fared well compared to last year, Thayer said.
"We're staying the same, at least, if not better" compared to last year's scored.
Thayer said the district's goal is to be at or above state level in everything. "There's always room for improvement, but overall (the scores) were quite good," she said.
Other districts throughout the region also showed strong results: In Monticello, for example, 94 percent of eighth-graders were in the top two categories in reading. Ninety-five of Juda eighth-graders were in the top two categories in math. And Argyle registered 100 percent of fifth-graders and 95 percent of third-graders proficient or advanced.
On the low end of the scale, 40 percent of Albany sixth-graders did not hit the proficient mark in math, scoring in the minimal or basic categories. In Black Hawk, 44 percent of sixth-graders were below proficient in math. However, both schools also posted numerous high scores: Black Hawk had 90 percent of fourth-graders proficient or above in reading, while Albany 93 percent of seventh-graders hit the top rankings in reading.
Thayer advised people to keep the test scores in perspective - the test scores offer a snapshot of performance on one particular day.
"We have to remember students have good days and bad days," she said.
The Monroe school district takes them seriously but they are, she said, just one factor in making decisions concerning school programming.
She also said it's hard to compare districts to each other: In smaller school districts, one student has a larger impact on the overall percentage than in a larger district with more students.
About 434,000 Wisconsin students in grades three through eight and 10 took the statewide Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examinations. Results of the test are used to comply with the federal No Child Left Behind law and will be the basis of determining whether schools are progressing as required.
State Superintendent Elizabeth Burmaster was encouraged by the results, saying there are some positive trends but the focus must remain on closing achievement gaps.
While the gap between minority students and whites narrowed in many groups over the past three years, it still remains significant.
When looking at all students tested in math, 82 percent of whites this year were proficient or advanced on the tests. That compared with just 74 percent of Asian students, 62 percent of American Indians, 56 percent of Hispanics and 40 percent of blacks.
However, all of those minority groups narrowed the gap between their scores and white students from three years ago.
Results released Friday showed that reading scores for elementary, middle and high school grades all remained unchanged this year compared to last. Math scores increased one point in the elementary grades, dropped one point in middle grades and dropped two points in 10th grade.
Monroe schools, on the whole, fared well on the tests.
"Overall, Monroe did very well," said Jennifer Thayer, Director of Curriculum and Instruction. The district scored at or above the state average in all subjects across all grade levels.
In reading scores for third-graders, for example, 86 percent scored proficient or advanced, compared with the 79.5 percent across the state. In 10th grade, 85 percent were proficient or advanced, while 74.6 percent scored in those categories statewide.
"Math keeps coming up as a strength," she said in reviewing test scores.
Eighty-eight percent of Monroe sixth-graders scored proficient or advanced, well above the 75.8 of sixth-grade students across the state. For math, 84 percent of seventh-graders were in the top two categories, compared to 76.9 across the state.
One area that needs improvement is language arts, which encompasses writing, grammar and speech.
"The language scores are not where we would like them to be," she said, noting the district is working on curriculum changes to help improve student performance.
Language arts, along with science and social studies, is only tested in fourth, eighth and 10th grade. In Monroe, 75 percent of fourth-graders scored proficient or advanced and 71 percent of 10th-graders did; across the state, 75 percent of fourth-graders and 70 percent of 10th-graders did.
Monroe also fared well compared to last year, Thayer said.
"We're staying the same, at least, if not better" compared to last year's scored.
Thayer said the district's goal is to be at or above state level in everything. "There's always room for improvement, but overall (the scores) were quite good," she said.
Other districts throughout the region also showed strong results: In Monticello, for example, 94 percent of eighth-graders were in the top two categories in reading. Ninety-five of Juda eighth-graders were in the top two categories in math. And Argyle registered 100 percent of fifth-graders and 95 percent of third-graders proficient or advanced.
On the low end of the scale, 40 percent of Albany sixth-graders did not hit the proficient mark in math, scoring in the minimal or basic categories. In Black Hawk, 44 percent of sixth-graders were below proficient in math. However, both schools also posted numerous high scores: Black Hawk had 90 percent of fourth-graders proficient or above in reading, while Albany 93 percent of seventh-graders hit the top rankings in reading.
Thayer advised people to keep the test scores in perspective - the test scores offer a snapshot of performance on one particular day.
"We have to remember students have good days and bad days," she said.
The Monroe school district takes them seriously but they are, she said, just one factor in making decisions concerning school programming.
She also said it's hard to compare districts to each other: In smaller school districts, one student has a larger impact on the overall percentage than in a larger district with more students.
About 434,000 Wisconsin students in grades three through eight and 10 took the statewide Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examinations. Results of the test are used to comply with the federal No Child Left Behind law and will be the basis of determining whether schools are progressing as required.
State Superintendent Elizabeth Burmaster was encouraged by the results, saying there are some positive trends but the focus must remain on closing achievement gaps.
While the gap between minority students and whites narrowed in many groups over the past three years, it still remains significant.
When looking at all students tested in math, 82 percent of whites this year were proficient or advanced on the tests. That compared with just 74 percent of Asian students, 62 percent of American Indians, 56 percent of Hispanics and 40 percent of blacks.
However, all of those minority groups narrowed the gap between their scores and white students from three years ago.