Improvements Are Elementary Some Grade-School Results Up; Secondary Scores Stagnant

Test scores increased in 15 of Spokane School District 81’s 35 elementary schools.

But most junior high and high school scores remained about the same as last year, except for 11thgrade math scores, which jumped between five and 16 points.

Some of the increases and drops are more dramatic than others, especially in the elementary schools.

Lidgerwood Elementary’s scores fell by more points than any other school in most subjects. The school’s “total battery” score for the seven subject tests fell by 21 points to the 25th percentile.

This means that 75 percent of the nation’s fourth-graders scored better than the average Lidgerwood fourthgrader.

Lidgerwood scored the lowest of Spokane grade schools in reading, language, math and the total battery score. In 1993, it ranked closer to the middle.

District 81 Superintendent Gary Livingston said Lidgerwood needs to look at its scores and reasons for the drop.

Efforts to reach Lidgerwood Principal Cristina Welch for comment were unsuccessful.

On the other side of the graph, Ridgeview Elementary increased its scores this year by more points than any other school in most subjects.

Last year, Ridgeview ranked second from the bottom among elementary schools at the 32nd percentile. This year, the school doubled its total score to 64.

Ridgeview Principal Dana Lyman was unavailable for comment because of a family emergency.

There were other success stories.

Madison increased its scores by 20 points to the 65th percentile.

Pratt increased its score by 17 points to the 52nd percentile. Last year, the school ranked third from the bottom in scores. This year, the school ranked in the middle.

For the second year, Mullan Road ranked as the highest-scoring elementary school at the 80th percentile. Hutton and Hamblen also scored 80 points; Hamblen, in fact, climbed 18 points over last year’s scores.

“When you score 80 percent on a national test, certainly I’m pleased with it,” Mullan Road Principal Paul Stone said.

The school still can improve, he said. Stone credited parents, a relevant program and highly trained teachers for the high scores of students.

“They’re ready to learn,” Stone said. “They’re well-fed. They’ve had a good night’s sleep.”

For eighth-grade scores, Sacajawea Middle School once again ranked at the top in most subjects.

The school draws from some of the more affluent neighborhoods in Spokane, Principal Herbert Rotchford said.

“Studies have shown that about 60 percent of standardized test results are a direct reflection of socio-economic status,” Rotchford said.