| Fewer top performers in elementary science | ||||||
| Percent scoring “advanced” on fifth-grade Virginia Standards of Learning exam: | ||||||
| Baseline | 2009-2010 | 2010-2011 Goal | ||||
| Total | 21 | 20 | 33-39% | |||
| Asian | 23 | 22 | 33-39% | |||
| Black | 6 | 9 | 16-32% | |||
| Hispanic | 7 | 6 | 16-32% | |||
| White | 26 | 27 | 33-49% | |||
Fairfax County students are scoring lower on science exams than the school system had hoped, especially at the elementary level, and probably will not meet next year’s performance goals, school officials plan to tell the school board Thursday night. The school board also will be disappointed by the racial achievement gap, said Myra Thayer, PreK-12 science coordinator for Fairfax County Public Schools.
Eighty-six percent of fifth-graders passed the Virginia Science Standards of Learning test or an alternative assessment, fewer than school officials had projected — and a percentage that didn’t budge from the 86 percent average of 2005, 2006 and 2007 scores used by the district for comparison. The number of students scoring “advanced” slipped from 21 percent to 20 percent, far behind the district’s goal of 33 to 49 percent.
“I’m sure [the board] will be disappointed that the fifth grade isn’t showing the gains,” Thayer said. “I think it’s pretty evident that we’re not going to meet those expectations.”
Thayer said a rabid focus on improving reading and math scores slighted science in the elementary curriculum. “More time would be nice,” she said.
The percentage of fifth-graders passing the math exam shot up from 72 percent to 87 percent, with a 16-point increase in the amount of advanced scorers to 57 percent. Eighth-grade math students’ scores also increased dramatically, with 80 percent scoring advanced on the state test and 61 percent passing Algebra I.
School board member Jane Strauss credited “concerted efforts” to increase math performance.
“We’ve done a lot more staff development on the elementary level in math,” she said.
Fellow board member Patricia Reed said she was too distracted by the “troubling” science scores to celebrate the math gains: “What’s most disturbing to me is the huge range of performance based on race.”
Just 66 percent of fifth-grade Hispanic students passed the science exam, down from 70 percent in previous years, and significantly lower than white students’ 94 percent pass rate. African-American students increased their pass rate from 66 to 72 percent.
In math, minority students made significant gains but still passed at rates about 20 percentage points below white and Asian students. Among advanced scorers, the 37-point gap between the lowest-performing racial group, Hispanic students, and the highest-performing Asian students increased to 39 points.
“There’s clearly some work to do to get people to catch up,” Reed said. “You see it across the board, and it’s very distressing.”
