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Schools

Maine West Test Scores Rise

Maine South, Maine East standard test scores decrease.

The percentage of students meeting or exceeding scores on state-mandated math and reading tests went up last year. School board members for Maine Township High School District 207 discussed the report at their meeting Oct. 3.

Reading scores for students at Maine West High School increased from 56.7 percent to 57.3 percent of students meeting or exceeding state standards, according to the report. Math scores increased from 60.1 percent to 64.1 percent.

The Prairie State Achievement Examination is given each spring to juniors and is used to determine whether schools are making adequate yearly progress under No Child Left Behind. The two-day exam includes the ACT and other tests.

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Earlier:

At Maine South and Maine East high schools, the number of students meeting or exceeding state standards on the PSAE decreased.

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At Maine South High School 74.7 percent of students met or exceeded state standards in reading, down from 75.7 percent in 2010. In math, 80.3 percent of students met or exceeded standards, down from 81.5 percent in 2010.

At Maine East High School 45.4 percent of last year’s juniors met or exceeded standards in reading, down from 47.8 percent the year before. In math 59 percent of students met of exceeded standards, down from 61.8 percent the year before.

According to the testing report, none of the schools made adequate yearly progress, which was defined as 85 percent of students meeting or exceeding standards.

At the same time, in 10 years, the percentage of low-income students in District 207 increased from 10.3 to 26.5 percent, according to the report.

Ken Wallace, superintendent at District 207, said changing demographics, including an increasing proportion of low-income students, could help explain the change.

“There is no stronger correlation with academic achievement than poverty or the lack of poverty,” Wallace said.

The district is working on several initiatives administrators expect to bear fruit in coming years, said Barbara Dill-Varga, the district’s assistant superintendent for curriculum. Groups of teachers meet each Wednesday morning to review student work and decide what instructional strategies will best meet students’ needs, she said.

“If a student doesn’t speak English, it doesn’t help to make the print bigger or read the questions to them,” Dill-Varga said.

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