Friday, May. 09, 2008

KISD eighth-graders improve on TAKS math section

Passing now required to move on to next grade

Staff report

Keller ISD eighth-graders are raising the bar for passing and commended results from the math portion of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills.

Some 90 percent of students met the standard, while 34 percent achieved commended status. Those results represent gains of 8 percent in passing and 9 percent in commended over last year’s scores.

Students in the eighth and fifth grades took the math TAKS test in April. Scores for fifth-graders held steady, with 91 percent passing and 50 percent reaching commended levels.

This is the first year that eighth-graders must pass the reading and math TAKS tests in order to be promoted. For several years now, fifth-graders have had to meet the standard on those two tests to advance to sixth.

KISD passing results for eighth-graders were 15 percent higher than state scores, and commended results were 13 percent higher.

Scores for eighth-grade students statewide are on the rise because of the new passing requirement, but the district gains are even greater.

"A lot of it has to do with the second year of the new curriculum implementation," said Deana Lopez, asst. superintendent of curriculum and instruction.

Teachers and curriculum department officials have been targeting math and science instruction because scores in those two subjects prevented the district from achieving recognized status in last year’s state accountability ratings. The school board and Supt. James Veitenheimer have set the goal for the district to go from academically acceptable to recognized this year.