Bridgewater-Raynham showing improvement
September 28, 2004
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Joseph Gillis Jr.
You can do something!
With the release of the Spring 2004 MCAS scores, I decided that rather than to just compare how B-R did compared to the State for 2004, I would compare to see how the schools have done over the past years. I attempted to track the same group of students as they move from year to year. Yes, I am aware that students do leave (especially entering high school) or come to the B-R School System - to exclude those students would require a detailed review of every students' scores. Interestingly, there were 490 4th graders to take MCAS in 2000, and 489 8th graders to take the test in 2004.
{click here for a one-page cover analysis ;
click here for the actual spreadsheet of data}
In all of the following cases, the "All" and "Regular Ed" classifications tracked fairly close for B-R and the State - as a statistical comparison. The attached files show the differences in actual math.
A) Math: 2000 4th graders to 2002 6th graders to 2004 8th graders. B-R tracked fairly closely to the State averages from 2000 to 2002. However, the 2004 8th graders did significantly better than the state averages.
B) Math: 2002 8th graders to 2004 10th graders. In 2002, B-R was just fractionally ahead of the state averages. However, for 2004, B-R had improved such that it is now a few percentage points better than the state average.
C) Science: 2000 4th graders to 2004 8th graders. In 2000, B-R was just about exactly even with the state averages. The 2004 8th graders tested significantly higher than the state averages.
D) ELA (English Language Arts): 2001 7th graders to 2004 10th graders. In 2001, B-R and the state scored at nearly the exact same level. However, the 2004 10th graders were graded a few percentage points above the state average.
E) ELA: 2001 4th graders to 2004 7th graders. In 2001, B-R was about one percentage point above the state averages. However, the 2004 7th graders scored several percentage points above the state averages.
ANALYSIS
In Math, the past couple of years have shown tremendous improvement. Science has shown our largest improvement, where we are now 13-17% ahead of averages. ELA has also shown improvement.
Therefore, either the groundwork set forth in the curriculums of the late 1990's created a good foundation (even though the tests did not show this) or we have done a better job fine-tuning the curriculum over just the past two to three years. Or, maybe a combination of both.
The end result is that the students of B-R are now tracking ahead of the State averages across all of the various subject areas. The administrators and teachers have a good game plan now, and the students' test scores are visible proof of the work put in by all.
