DPI releases assessment scores

By TOM LAVENTURE

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HURLEY, Wisc. — The results of the Wisconsin Student Assessment System exams released Monday showed slight decreases in English language arts and mathematics, but not across the board, according to the state Department of Public Instruction.

The assessment from the 2018-19 school year includes the Forward Exam for grades three through eight, the ACT Aspire for grades nine and 10, the ACT with writing in grade 11, and the Dynamic Learning Maps given across all tested grades to students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. The results are a foundational component of state-legislated school and district report cards to be released later this year.

Statewide, there were a total of 588,992 students in grades three through 11 who took the assessments. This is a 98% participation for public schools and 90.6% for school choice students. Overall results in the state showed slight decreases in English language arts and mathematics.

Kevin Genisot, administrator for Hurley Public School District, said the faculty are reviewing the data from the testing and that results, although important, are not the only indicators of student success and that many factors can influence test scores.

“We don’t ever over-celebrate the high achievement scores or make drastic changes if we receive lower than anticipated scores,” Genisot said. “We simply focus on understanding why the scores are what they are and then decide as a team if changes are needed.”

There are multiple measures to gauge academic progress and for measuring overall student success conducted throughout the year, he said. There are the Renaissance Star 360 assessments, chapter tests, theme tests, the ACT, Forward Exam, and other testing outcomes used to monitor student achievement.

Teachers can use the STAR Screening Report to design intervention plans based on individual needs to reach math and reading benchmarks. This includes one-on-one or small group instruction.

Testing results vary year-to-year depending on variables that staff can not control, such as class size or disability, Genisot said. Ongoing monitoring will help enhance overall educational system goals to meet the needs of students, he said.

“That’s not just in regard to academic needs but also focuses on social-emotional needs as well as general life skills,” Genisot said. “Creating an educational system which helps students hone the skill-set they will leave us with at graduation is imperative if we are going to focus on the whole child vs simply looking at the academic performance indicators.”

In its news release the DPI said a recent U.S. Department of Education study placed Wisconsin among the highest performing states for meeting expectations as compared to proficiency standards of the National Assessment of Educational Progress. The science assessments changed this year and a longitudinal analysis of science achievement will be included starting in 2019-20.