Recordpub.com - 2 tests trip up Portage pupils Math, social studies tough on state scores

By Dave O'Brien

Record-Courier staff writer

Two achievement tests -- fifth grade math and eighth grade social studies -- tripped up many a Portage County student, according to state report cards released Tuesday by the Ohio Department of Education.

The state average for percent of students proficient in fifth grade math is 61.8 percent. The state average in eighth grade social studies is even worse, at 53.5 percent. The state requires 75 percent of students be proficient for a school to obtain a success indicator.

However, these tests are two of the newest among the 28 given and scored.

"The eighth grade social studies test has only been given for two years," Ravenna schools Superintendent Tim Calfee said. The first year was in 2006, when the state average of students proficient on it was 49.3 percent, he said. That year, only 43 percent of Ravenna students were proficient on it.

That number jumped 12 percentage points this year to 55.5 percent, Calfee said, adding that he hopes Ravenna will improve on that score by looking at it, analyzing the data and seeing what needs to be worked on.

"It's a tough test," he said.

Ohio has only been testing math at the fifth grade level for three years, Calfee said.

The ODE released individual buildings' test results on its Web site Tuesday, which showed success in other areas. Ohio requires a 90 percent graduation rate and 93 percent attendance rate, and most Portage County schools met these. The state average for graduation is 86.9 percent and 94.2 percent for attendance, according to the ODE.

Highlights -- and lowlights -- for individual buildings in each of the 12 Portage County school districts and Stow-Munroe Falls School District are below. A building was rated "effective" unless otherwise noted:

AURORA

Students in 11th grade aced the Ohio Graduation Test in writing, with 100 percent proficient, and scored at least 99 percent proficiency in the reading, math, social studies and science tests. All Aurora buildings rated "excellent."

Aurora High School had a a 97.8 percent graduation rate and 95.7 percent attendance rate. Aurora eighth-graders were the only ones in the county proficient enough in the eighth grade social studies test to warrant an indicator, scoring 86 percent.

CRESTWOOD

Crestwood High School rated "excellent," and had the fourth-best graduation rate in Portage County at 98.4 percent. Crestwood Middle School also ranked "excellent," with only 55.9 percent proficient in eighth grade social studies. Only 59.5 percent of fifth-graders were proficient on math exams.

FIELD

The Field School District almost met two additional indicators: With a 98.8 percent graduation rate, Field High School rated "excellent," but the building's 92.7 percent attendance rate missed capturing the attendance indicator by 0.3 percent. At 74.7 percent proficient, Suffield Elementary School fifth-graders missed math proficiency by a mere 0.3 percent.

JAMES A. GARFIELD

The district's namesake, a U.S. president and longtime educator, would be proud: James A. Garfield High School had the highest graduation rate in Portage County at 99.1 percent with 116 graduating seniors. Both the high school and elementary rated "excellent," with fifth grade math students hitting 85.8 percent proficiency on that test. Eighth-graders were 66.1 percent proficient in social studies, the only indicator the middle school failed to hit.

KENT

Theodore Roosevelt High School rated "excellent" with 12 of 12 indicators, a 95.2 percent graduation rate and 94.4 percent attendance rate. The fifth grade math scores at Holden Elementary bottomed out at 44.1 percent proficiency. Slightly more than half of Davey and Walls elementary fifth-graders rated math proficient.

MOGADORE

O.H. Somers Elementary School rated "excellent," though Mogadore fifth-graders failed to meet 75 percent proficiency on any of their four achievement tests. The small-but-"excellent" Mogadore High School graduated 100 percent of its students -- the senior class boasted 59 graduates -- in 2007.

RAVENNA

An A+ goes to Carlin Elementary School for being ranked "excellent with distinction," based in part on high writing and math scores and the adequate yearly progress standard. West Main Elementary School rated "excellent," missing fourth grade math proficiency by a mere 0.4 percent of students.

Ravenna High School had the lowest graduation and attendance rates in Portage County, at 87.1 percent and 90 percent respectively. Rausch Intermediate School was ranked "continuous improvement," meeting only the attendance and sixth grade reading test indicators.

SOUTHEAST

At 92.9 percent attendance, Southeast High School missed the attendance indicator by 0.1 percent. Southeast Middle School rated "continuous improvement."

STOW-MUNROE FALLS

Stow-Munroe Falls High School in Summit County was "excellent," graduating 97.2 percent of students. Kimpton Middle School rated "excellent with distinction," missing the eighth grade social studies exam indicator by 0.7 percent, at 74.3 percent proficiency.

STREETSBORO

Streetsboro High School rocketed to "excellent" status with 12 of 12 indicators, while graduation and attendance rates hovered close to 94 percent. Campus Intermediate School rated "excellent."

WATERLOO

Waterloo High School was "excellent," with 95.5 percent attendance, which put it second highest in the county, and graduating 94.6 percent of students. Less than 60 percent of eighth grade social studies and fifth grade math students were proficient on those tests.

WINDHAM

Windham High School and Katherine Thomas Elementary School both rated "continuous improvement." The high school had the second-lowest graduation and attendance rates behind Ravenna High School, but solid, high 80's or low 90s proficiencies in 11th grade reading and writing.