Two elementary schools in Athens, GA, have recently raised their standardized test scores, and I'm sure they'd be happy to let us in on the secrets of their success - if they could only agree on what those are:
Something seems to be working at Chase Street and Gaines elementary schools - even though educators can't be sure what it is yet. A comparison of standardized test scores at both schools - which are part of a community partnership with the University of Georgia - shows greater improvement in reading, math and language arts than the district average...
Between spring 2002 and 2003, the average math score for Chase Street fourth-graders climbed 12 points, while the average score at Gaines went up 15.5 points. During the same time period, the district average increased by about 5.5 points. In reading, the Chase average score increased almost 9 points and the Gaines average increased by almost 7 points, while the district average remained stable...
Chase Street is just completing a three-year program focusing on math, while Gaines has had reading and literacy grants in recent years.
''We have concentrated on language arts,'' Gaines Principal Phyllis Stewart said. ''We're doing a lot of assessment and adjusting our instruction based on those assessments. It really makes a difference, because we're able to see the gaps and focus in with appropriate instruction.''
All Gaines classes are required to write every day, allowing them to combine reading with other skills such as revision and proofreading. The emphasis is on a whole method of instruction coming together, not fragmented pieces, Stewart said.
At Chase, teachers have a half-day each of professional training in math and reading instruction every month - one of the ways the school has tried to boost achievement, Principal Robert Bluett said.
Emphasis mine, above. Although any cause-and-effect relationship could have been more easily assessed if teaching changes had been made one at a time, I can understand why they didn't do that. It's probably not yet time to celebrate, either - but these results do look pretty good.
Posted by kswygert at January 12, 2004 01:19 PM