ISTEP scores remain low across the state, slightly higher locally

ISTEP scores released last week brought sobering results to educators statewide. Scores remain low again this year, with third and sixth grade students performing the poorest. \nForty-six percent of the state's sixth graders passed the Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress exam, down from 48 percent last year, according to the the Indiana Department of Education. Fifty-six percent of third graders passed the test's math and language portions, compared to 60 percent last year. \nMonroe County schools scored higher than the state average in all four grades, according to the education department's Web site. While 57 percent of its third graders passed both the math and English portions of the test, 61 percent of its sixth graders passed both portions, the site states.\nIndiana students must take the test at four grade levels: third, sixth, eighth and 10th. Eighth and 10th grade students scored significantly higher than the state average; 69 percent of eight graders and 68 percent of 10th graders passed the test, compared with the state average of 56 and 59, respectively, according to the site. \n"What we do is to become very familiar with the Indiana Academic standards, and then we promote quality instruction," said David Frye, associate superintendent of Monroe County schools. "The content of what taught is expected to follow the Indiana academic standards." \nStudents at Marlin Elementary School, 1655 E. Bethel Lane, scored well, according to the statistics. Every third grade student passed the math section and 78 percent passed the English portion.\n"The students, staff and parents at Marlin have worked very hard to meet both the Monroe County Community School Corporation and the state educational standards," said Jeralynn Beghetto, Marlin Elementary principal. \nShe touted the school's strong partnership with the community. \nBeghetto said Marlin focuses on looking at students individually and their different learning preferences. \nBut Marlin Elementary has one third grade class, whereas other schools might have multiple classes composed of children from all backgrounds.\nExperts said the disparities between low-income and high-income schools also play a factor in educational excellence. Students in wealthy school districts consistently score higher than those in lower-income areas, IU-Purdue University Indianapolis School of Education professor Lowell Rose. \n"The scares on the ISTEP are almost in direct correlation with the poverty scores," he said. "The higher the poverty rate, the lower the ISTEP score." \nSixteen to 18 percent of Marlin's students are on a free or reduced lunch program, which Beghetto said is an indicator of a higher-income school.\nStudents at Fairview Elementary, 627 W. Eighth St., where 80 percent of the children are on either free or reduced lunch, scored much lower, but did improve from last year, according to the department of education Web site. Although the school has numerous academic programs and literacy groups, a high transience problem works against them and the teachers, said Kathy Rabold, Fairview Elementary principal. \nFairview had 14 third grade students move in and 20 move out of the school last semester alone, she said. \n"When you have 34 third-graders that move in or out in one semester, when there's only 48 total, that's an unbelievable statistic," Rabold said. "How can kids learn when they're going from one school to another? \n"This makes it really hard on the teachers; I have to give them a lot of credit -- they have to help these children with social and emotional problems, as well as academics," she said. \nKaren Papadopoulos, a Fairview third-grade teacher, said the school is working to improve learning and test scores by enacting reading programs, such as Soar to Success and Literature Based Reading. \nEach Friday, the IU Honors College students read and spend time with her third graders in a Book Buddy program. Fairview also has a professional ISTEP remediation aide who offers support to students who score below standards, Papadopoulos said. \nBut she said the transience problem affects the school's ability to teach. \n"It's really hard to build upon prior knowledge when you don't know what that prior knowledge is," she said.\nLowell said the test scores reflected the results from students who are learning disabled as well as students who don't speak English as their first language. He said students who score lower aren't necessarily incapable of learning, but they require special attention.\n"I think, clearly, we are not meeting the education needs of the kids who come from the poverty level," he said. "They need additional help, and we are not recognizing it"