Despite setbacks, math progress points to brighter future

Dec. 10—Although they haven't risen to pre-pandemic levels, student math scores in the St. Joseph School District are gaining ground, state testing scores revealed this week.

Missouri Assessment Program standardized test numbers show the district's math performance is improving almost across the board. Grades 3 through 8 are tested on math, and separate tests on Algebra I and Algebra II are offered for older students.

A total of 35% of third graders scored "proficient" or "advanced" in the spring, up from 31%. A total of 40% of fourth graders met this benchmark, up from 35%. Fifth graders were nearly level, at 28% down from 29%. Sixth graders improved to 28% proficient-advanced, up from 23%. Eighth graders are up to 19%, from 16%. Algebra I scores are at 26% proficient-advanced, up from 22%. Algebra II scores decreased to 54% proficient-advanced, from the 65% mark of 2021. Except for eighth grade, all district scores remain down from 2018, reflecting the long-term learning loss caused by COVID-19.

"In terms of mathematics, we made increases in five of those six tested areas, when you look at grades 3 through 8," said Kendra Lau, director of school improvement. "We also improved in Algebra I, while the state as a whole did not improve in Algebra I. So that lets us know we're continuing to close those gaps from some of the pandemic learning loss, and especially so in mathematics."

Lacey Adams, the new principal of Bessie Ellison Elementary after she worked for several years at Carden Park Elementary, said students in her school are consistently above 60% in the proficient-advanced category.

"We conference with our parents about our individual students and their MAP results," she said. "Our students set goals, and we monitor those throughout the year. It's typically not a surprise for us, by the time the MAP score comes around, because we've been formatively assessing students along the way."

It is a goal, Adams said, to bring all St. Joseph School District grades to above 50% in proficient-advanced for each testing metric, but neither the SJSD nor Missouri students statewide have been able to reach that benchmark, except in Algebra II.

"I think 50% is a definite goal for the district, and I think it's very attainable," Adams said. "I think the work that we're doing in St. Joseph is aligning our instruction to the Missouri learning standards. And we're demonstrating growth in that area."

District leaders confer among themselves and with parents about how to bring individual student scores up, relying on the i-Ready Assessment, a test preparation program that indicates how kids are likely to do when they take the decisive MAP, usually in late April or early May.

At Ellison, teachers use a stoplight-themed vertical chart. At the beginning of the year, paper notes — each identifying a student — are placed into the "red" section of the chart. As they progress in their math learning goals during the year, the notes advance into the "yellow" and finally "green" stages of the chart. This helps staff quickly identify who is on track to do well on the MAP in a given subject or grade, and who still needs help.

"Throughout the school year, we like to get a baseline of where students are at," said Erica Hankins, fourth grade math teacher at Ellison. "And we share that with parents, and sometimes they're surprised to see where their child is at the start of the grade level. But we make sure to tell them that, you know, we've had summer, we've also COVID, and they shouldn't get discouraged because we're going to work our hardest to get your child caught up."

One reason why so much emphasis is placed upon grades 3 through 8 is that if students do not succeed at that level, their chances go down on scoring well later on, such as for college entrance exams, taken in high school. The district recorded that the ACT average for spring 2022 went down to 20.50, from the 2021 average of 21.60. A perfect ACT score, seldom attained, is 36.

Marcus Clem can be reached at marcus.clem@newspressnow.com. Follow him on Twitter: @NPNowClem