Test scores for the first half of 2018-19 in the inaugural academic year of Clarksdale Collegiate Public Charter School showed kindergarteners and second-graders are performing best in reading assessments.
Those and other test scores highlighted discussion during the Monday, Dec. 17 board meeting.
Executive director Amanda Johnson also reported the school received $400,000 for two years from a charter school growth fund. The fund can be used for anything except for facilities.
In her executive director’s report, Johnson provided in-depth information on the test scores. She passed out statistics showing where the students currently stand.
First-graders’ scores decreased in the Northwest Evaluation Association Measures of Academic Progress reading assessment tests.
In the fall assessment, 17 percent of first-graders were in the top bracket of scores. The first-graders performed better than 42 percent of other students their age in the country.
Just 15 percent of firstgraders were in the top bracket of students for the winter, while the grade as a whole performed better than 37 percent of the students in the country.
Thirteen percent of kindergarteners performed in the top bracket in the fall. That increased to 24 percent in the winter. In the fall, the kindergarteners performed better than 42 percent of their peers in the country. That increased to 55 percent in the winter.
Thirteen percent of second-graders performed in the top bracket in the fall. That increased to 28 percent in the winter. In the fall, second-graders performed better than 31 percent of their peers in the country and that increased to 36 percent in the winter.
“It appears there was better growth in kindergarten and second grade than first grade from what I discern from this on the macro level in reading,” said board member Billy Crews. “Is there are a reason you think first grade is lagging, compared to kindergarten and second grade?”
Johnson said one possible reason is first-graders are doing first grade work, but their skill level is still at kindergarten.
“I was not predicting that (first-graders having lower scores),” Johnson said. “I didn’t think that was going to be the case. I think one of the solutions, I would say, is having a better indicator on a more frequent basis.”
Johnson said she is hoping to have an assessment that will better predict test results in the future.
Crews also said the internal reading assessments were different from the NWEA MAP assessments.
There were three rounds of internal reading assessments.
A total of 39 percent of kindergarteners were at the top level in the first round. That increased to 78 percent in Round 2 and 92 percent in Round 3. A total of 35 percent of first-graders were at the top level in the first round. That increased to 71 percent in Round 2 and 72 percent in Round 3. A total of 19 percent of second-graders were at the top level in the first two rounds and increased to 49 percent in Round 3.
“I would say our scholars are growing and they need to grow more,” Johnson said.
In the past, she has said math scores could fluctuate depending on what students are working on.
In the third internal assessment, 81 percent of the kindergarteners scored above 80 percent, as did 75 percent of first-graders and 54 percent of second-graders.
In the most recent NWEA MAP math assessment, 22 percent of kindergarteners were at the top level. The grade as a whole was better than 49 percent of the nation. Ten percent of first-graders were at the top level, while the grade as a whole was better than 35 percent of the nation. Six percent of second-graders were at the top level and the grade as a whole tested better than 29 percent of the nation.
Enrollment and parent satisfaction was another issue discussed during the meeting.
Johnson reported six students have left the school since the beginning of October. Five moved away and one went back to the local school system.
With other new enrollments, the school is back up to 143 students. Enrollment was at 147 students for the beginning of October.
“Is that normal in school systems because I don’t know?” asked board chair Aurelia Jones-Taylor.
Johnson said it was normal.
“It is normal from my observation. It seems more significant to us as we’re talking about it — a very finite number right now, 150,” Crews said.
Johnson said, in some cases, parents lose jobs and move somewhere else, but come back home where there is more family support.
“I’m really pleased with retention numbers,” she said. “If you look at — we talked about parent satisfaction. I still feel good about our parent/family satisfaction, which I think is leading to kids trying to stay with us. We are a school of choice and so they make a choice every day to come to our school. We want them to continue to choose us.”
In the 92 parent satisfaction surveys, Johnson said 92 percent of the parents said they were fully satisfied.
There are currently 52 second-graders, 53 kindergarteners and 41 first-graders at the school.
“We haven’t really been pushing enrollment this year because we have been over enrolled in two of the three grades,” said Johnson, adding she will be reaching out to parents to enroll more first-graders.
