Report card shows 2007 test scores up in Bozeman schools, all area school made adequate progress

By GAIL SCHONTZLER Chronicle Staff Writer

The 2007 report card on Montana schools, released Thursday by the Office of Public Instruction, showed that all public schools and school districts in Gallatin, Park and Madison counties made adequate progress as required by the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

In Bozeman, there was further good news — both the elementary and high school districts had higher scores in reading and math in 2007 than the year before.

However, Bozeman students continue to score noticeably higher in reading than in math on the statewide test.

Montana’s CRT or criterion-referenced test was given last spring to all third- through eighth-graders and 10th-graders. It is designed to test whether Montana children are learning what they’re supposed to learn under the state’s educational standards. The test also is used to determine whether schools are meeting the federal requirements of No Child Left Behind.

Of Bozeman’s elementary students, 92 percent scored “proficient” or “advanced” on the statewide reading test, up 4 percentage points from the year before, according to reports posted on OPI’s Web site.

In math, 77 percent of Bozeman’s elementary students scored proficient or better, up by 3 percent from the year before.

Among Bozeman High’s 10th-graders, 89 percent scored well in reading, up 2 percentage points from the year before. In math, 72 percent scored well, up 1 point.

Bozeman High School’s latest graduation rate was 86 percent, down 1 percent from the year before.

At every Bozeman school, reading scores were up. Math scores were up at every school except Sacajawea and Whittier, where they slipped 1 percentage point, and Hawthorne, where they were down 5 points but still far above the state average.

This year the Bozeman schools are launching an ambitious overhaul of their math instruction and introducing new textbooks in an effort to raise math scores. However, there wasn’t money in the budget to hire math intervention specialists, similar to the reading intervention teachers who are credited with helping to raise reading scores.

School Report Cards

All public schools and school districts in Gallatin, Park and Madison counties made adequate progress as required by the federal No Child Left Behind Act in the recent round of testing. Below are the percentages of students scoring proficient and advanced, and graduation rates. (Data was not released for schools smaller than 30 students.) School name -- reading -- math -- graduation rate Bozeman schools   All students -- 92 -- 77   Economically disadvantaged -- 81 -- 58   Students with disabilities -- 69 -- 54 Chief Joseph Middle -- 90 -- 74 Sacajawea Middle -- 95 -- 79 Emily Dickinson Elem. -- 95 -- 78 Hawthorne Elem. -- 99 -- 88 Irving Elem. -- 88 -- 82 Longfellow Elem. -- 95 -- 81 Morning Star Elem. -- 96 -- 89 Whittier Elem. -- 80 -- 67 Bozeman High School -- 89 -- 72 -- 86 Belgrade schools   Belgrade elementary district -- 86 -- 71   Intermediate School -- 87 -- 76   Middle School -- 86 -- 67   Heck/Quaw -- 88 -- 69   Ridge View -- 95 -- 74   Belgrade High School -- 85 -- 65 -- 84 Manhattan  Manhattan elementary -- 93 -- 77   Manhattan High -- 93 -- 85 -- 91 Three Forks   Three Forks elementary -- 88 -- 63   Three Forks High -- 93 -- 67 -- 92 Others Amsterdam elementary -- 88 -- 72 Anderson elementary -- 96 -- 86 Gallatin Gateway elementary -- 91 -- 80 LaMotte elementary -- 95 -- 84 Monforton elementary -- 93 -- 74 Ophir elementary -- 91 -- 67 West Yellowstone K-12 -- 83 -- 73 Livingston elementary -- 88 -- 75 Winans -- 93 -- 83 East Side -- 87 -- 80 Sleeping Giant Middle -- 89 -- 72 Park High School -- 79 -- 69 -- 87 Gardiner elementary -- 97 -- 88 Ennis K-12 -- 88 -- 68

Across Montana, the number of school districts making “adequate yearly progress” increased slightly in 2007, the Associated Press reported.

The controversial federal No Child Left Behind law requires schools to raise student scores each year so that 100 percent are proficient by the year 2014. However, the benchmarks used to determine adequate yearly progress are defined by each state.

This year, OPI defined adequate yearly progress as a score of at least 74 percent in reading, 51 percent in math, and a graduation rate of 80 percent or improvement toward that goal. OPI plans to raise those bars every couple years.

Statewide in 2007, an average of 81 percent of students were proficient or better in reading, and 64 percent scored as well in math, both up 3 percent. The state’s average graduation rate was 85 percent.

In 2007, OPI reported that 90 percent of Montana schools and 85 percent of school districts made adequate yearly progress.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Linda McCulloch pointed out that 34 schools and 22 school districts had improved scores enough to be removed from the state’s “school improvement” list for failing to meet federal requirements in past years.

McCulloch also emphasized that the Adequate Yearly Progress reports are based on just one test.

“Parents need to look beyond one test given once a year,” McCulloch told the Associated Press. “They need to be aware of how well their children are performing on a variety of daily and weekly measures beyond reading and math.”

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