The Starkville Oktibbeha-Consolidated School District received its results for 2016-2017 Mississippi Academic Assessment Program this week.
The results were released by the Mississippi Department of education for all public schools in the state. Students take English/language arts (ELA) and mathematics assessments from third to eighth grade, and English II and Algebra I tests in high school. Levels one and two are failing grades, while levels three, four and five pass.
Superintendent Eddie Peasant called the district’s scores “level” and said there were areas the district needed improvement in and areas where sufficient progress had been made.
Peasant said the district needed improvement in both ELA and math particularly at the third and fourth grade levels. In ELA, close to 40 percent of third graders scored below passing, with 8 percent scoring at level one and 31.7 percent scoring at level two. For fourth grade ELA, the distribution was similar with 10.6 percent scoring at level one and 31.9 percent scoring at level two. In math, 8.2 percent of third graders scored level one and 22.9 percent scored level two, and in fourth grade math 11.3 percent scored level one and 26.6 percent scoring level two.
Peasant said the district had already begun making plans to improve next year’s results, primarily by changing the teaching approach.
“That’s were our focus is, improving and changing our instruction in the classroom,” Peasant said.
Despite the issues in third and fourth grade, Peasant lauded the performance of West Elementary on its assessments.
“There was a lot of growth, and the students and teachers performed in a way we’re very proud of,” Peasant said.
In the third grade ELA assessment, no student at West scored level one, and 50 percent scored at level three. No West fifth graders scored level one on the ELA assessment. In math, 66.7 percent of West third graders scored level four and 25 percent scored level five. No West Elementary students across all three grades assessed scored level one in math.
“We think we’re on target to have a really successful year for our students,” Peasant said.
English/language Arts:
Grade three: Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5
Henderson Ward Stewart 8.5% 31.9% 27.1% 22.0% 10.6%
West Elementary 0.0% 29.2% 50.0% 16.7% 4.2%
Grade four: Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5
Henderson Ward Stewart 11.0% 31.7% 30.3% 24.6% 2.3%
West Elementary 3.8% 34.6% 26.9% 34.6% 0.0%
Grade five: Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5
Overstreet Elementary 11.1% 23.1% 34.6% 21.7% 9.4%
West Elementary 0.0% 23.1% 38.5% 30.8% 7.7%
Grade six: Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5
Armstrong Middle School 11.1% 27.4% 28.8% 16.3% 16.3%
Grade seven: Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5
Armstrong Middle School 13.8% 29.1% 34.7% 14.5% 7.9%
Grade eight: Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5
Armstrong Middle School 21.3% 17.6% 32.2% 20.7% 8.1%
English II: Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5
Starkville High School 8.6% 17.6% 34.4% 25.6% 13.8%
Mathematics:
Grade three: Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5
Henderson Ward Stewart 8.7% 24.0% 30.3% 28.8% 8.2%
West Elementary 0.0% 4.2% 4.2% 66.7% 25.0%
Grade four: Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5
Henderson Ward Stewart 12.2% 27.8% 33.7% 17.8% 8.5%
West Elementary 0.0% 11.5% 30.8% 34.6% 23.1%
Grade five: Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5
Overstreet Elementary 8.9% 22.6% 36.7% 19.2% 12.6%
West Elementary 0.0% 11.5% 46.2% 23.1% 19.2%
Grade six: Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5
Armstrong Middle School 9.6% 37.0% 31.3% 15.1% 7.0%
Grade seven: Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5
Armstrong Middle School 7.4% 38.0% 30.6% 16.1% 7.9%
Grade eight: Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5
Armstrong Middle School 9.6% 37.0% 31.3% 15.1% 7.0%
Algebra I: Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5
Armstrong Middle School 0.0% 0.0% 27.7% 53.8% 18.5%
Starkville High School 5.8% 30.2% 51.1% 12.0% 1.0%