The Milan News-Leader
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Milan MEAP results mirror state averages
By Brian Cox, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: March 16, 2006
The state assessment scores released last week show Milan third- through eighth-graders closely mirroring trends and averages across the state.
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"We're not displeased with the overall performance," said Milan Superintendent Dennis McComb, who said the scores pointed to areas of great improvement to areas that need review.
"We're very pleased with our social studies scores and science scores," he said. "We have to look at writing."
Almost 85 percent of Milan eighth-graders met or exceeded state science standards compared to a state average of 76.8 percent, and 87.2 percent of Milan sixth-graders met or exceeded standards in social studies, a huge boost from last year when only just over 30 percent of fifth-graders met or exceeded the standards.
The jump in social studies scores reflects a dramatic rise statewide that some analysts are attributing more to how the tests were graded than to improved student performance, but McComb said Milan has been concentrating on improving science and social studies scores since before last year.
"We have been looking hard at science and social studies," McComb said, "and the results are encouraging."
Milan's math scores also followed a statewide trend: downward as students progress in grades. A little more than 84 percent of Milan third-graders met or exceeded state math standards, but that number steadily declines up the grades until it bottoms out at 61.3 percent of eighth-graders meeting or exceeding the standards.
McComb said Milan has been working to address the drop in math proficiency as students age the past few years and implemented a new K-5 math curriculum last year. The curriculum will be instituted at the Middle School next year, he said.
"We feel that once we get the new math curriculum in place, our kids will be a lot better prepared," McComb said.
A number that in particular drew McComb's eye was the 34.4 percent of third-graders who met or exceeded the state's writing standards. That percentage is nearly 17 points off the state average of 51.5 percent. As Milan students age, however, their writing scores approach and eventually surpass the state average, with 71.5 percent of Milan eighth-graders meeting or exceeding the standards compared to the state average of 64.7 percent.
McComb attributed the low third-grade writing score to the district's intense focus on reading.
"We've been concentrating on reading, and we feel good about our reading scores," McComb said, "but maybe we haven't been tying the reading into writing enough."
McComb said it may be necessary to give writing more attention earlier.
"That's what the MEAPs are about," he said. "For taking a look, analyzing where you did well and where you can do better."
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