KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska
While Kodiak students tested better than the state average, overall scores show nearly 60 percent of Kodiak Island Borough School District students tested below or far below proficient in both math and English.
“And we just received our peak scores, which is a statewide accountability testing. And it shows that we’re slightly above the state average, but generally, statewide, our peak scores are dismal.
“So the fact that we’re doing better than the state average may make us feel good, but we’re not anywhere close what we need to be. And we’re going to change that.”
That is Kodiak Island Borough School Superintendent Larry LeDoux who was our guest on KMXT’s Talk of the Rock program this week.
“And the same is true with English language arts, reading. And if you look at our statewide peak scores, they’re way below where we want them to be. They certainly don’t reflect the effort that teachers are putting into our programs. And we need to change that.”
This is the third year of PEAK testing, which stands for Performance Evaluation for Alaska’s Schools. Grades three through nine took the English and Math tests.
Statewide fewer than 2 in 5, or just over 39 percent, earned at least a proficient score in English Language Arts, or E-L-A. Math scores fell even lower at just below 36 percent. Kodiak’s scores were only one point higher than statewide for E-L-A, and a few percentage points higher for math.
Looking at the Kodiak’s numbers. The combined scores for all grades were almost identical for both E-L-A and math. 41 percent scored proficient in E-L-A while 40 percent tested proficient in math. That leaves roughly 59 and 60 percent, respectively, testing at below or far below proficient in those subjects.
LeDoux says the district is already taking action to improve students’ proficiency by implementing a new E-L-A program this year. And he says, the district is not happy with the K-12 math program and is looking at ways to get kids turned on to math.
I can give you lots of reasons why people around the state do not likes the PEAKs, and you get superintendents together, and they complain or principles together. But when all said and done, we need to do better on that assessment, we need to have better indicators of how our students are performing. And we are not satisfied. And again, taking a number of steps to improve how we do and how kids are doing.”
Listen to the full half-hour Talk of the Rock program on the new school year, including a discussion of PEAK scores.
Individual school PEAK results (Select Kodiak Island Borough School District, and school
