Howard County Schools Superintendent Sydney Cousin said he was pleased with the overall results of a standardized test taken by second-graders in the school system, but remains concerned about the scores of minority student groups.
“We don?t want to rest on our laurels,” he said.
Seventy-one percent of students scored at a proficient level in reading and 73 percent scored at a proficient level in math, according to the 2006 results of the second edition of the TerraNova test.
Out of 37 elementary schools and one kindergarten through eighth-grade school, 15 did not meet the school system?s 70 percent proficiency rate in reading.
Twelve schools did not meet the proficiency rate in math.
Certain minority student groups ? blacks, Hispanics and American Indians ? as well as English language learners, students who receive free and reduced meals and students in special education, did not meet the proficiency rate in reading and math.
“We have several initiatives within the school system to address (this issue),” said Terry Alban, director of student assessment and program evaluation.
One such initiative involves the staff being trained in cultural proficiency through workshops that involve learning how to recognize and overcome cultural biases that may affect student achievement, she said.
Students who are performing below grade level are identified by teachers and given support such as after-school tutoring, she said.
Despite not achieving the proficiency rates, many of the student groups? scores improved from the previous year.
For instance, black students had a proficiency rate of 50 percent in reading last year, but that number jumped up to 53 percent this year.
Some of the top performing schools in reading were Thunder Hill, Manor Woods, Centennial Lane and Pointers Run elementaries.
Schools that performed well on the math portion were Thunder Hill, Centennial Lane, Worthington and Pointers Run.
The test is not state mandated, but it prepares students for the required Maryland School Assessment tests in grades 3 through 8.
