District 81 Working To Eliminate Background Influence On Scores

Take a test on a good night’s sleep and a full stomach, say the experts.

But it doesn’t take an expert to know that isn’t always what happens.

Analysis of the fourth-grade assessment results released this month isn’t uncovering many surprises in terms of which schools fared the best. Spokane School District 81 officials say they’re seeing a strong relationship between test scores and the economic level of a school’s population.

“If a student comes from a family life and a background that is strong, that’s a good predictor of how they’ll fare on tests,” said Fran Mester, district director of curriculum.

A statement released by the district last week said the broad range of scores among schools may be a reflection of the district’s economic diversity. Schools with lower test scores, it said, have a higher number of students taking free and reduced-priced lunches and have higher trends of mobility.

Superintendent Gary Livingston said increased efforts to bridge the gap will be a focus.

South Hill schools supported the district’s findings.

At one of the schools that fared the best, Mullan Road Elementary, students scored well above the state average in all four testing categories. In both reading and listening, 91.1 percent of students met the standard.

Statewide, 46.4 percent met reading objectives, and 62.6 percent met writing standards.

Just 8 percent of students at Mullan Road participate in the free and reduced-price lunch program. That is one of the lowest rates in the district.

It makes sense, said Mullan Road Principal Paul Stone. He attributed much of his school’s success to a dedicated staff, but he added that other factors did play a part in the results.

“Historically, we do well on tests because of all the enrichment the kids get from the families,” he said.

“Kids here aren’t worrying about where they’re going to get their next meal, so they’re able to take that energy and put it into their schoolwork. They get here ready to learn.”

Moran Prairie Elementary, with just 12 percent of the students receiving free or reduced-price lunches, and Wilson Elementary, with 43 percent, also fared far better than the state average in all four categories.

Schools with lower-income populations did not post the same results.

For example, at Sheridan Elementary, where 79 percent of students are on the free or reduced-price lunch program, most students did not meet standards in the four categories.

Nor did students at Grant Elementary, where 83 percent of students receive free or reduced-price lunches. But students did score slightly higher than state averages in both math and writing, a result of concentrated efforts to focus on those areas.

Grant Principal Steve Indgjerd said the results show it’s not fair to point fingers at economics.

“There’s no reason we can’t do well just because of that factor,” he said. “I don’t believe that we can’t overcome that.”

Indgjerd said that while many of his students come from lower-income families, it is not a fact the school dwells on. Educators try instead to provide the students with opportunities they might not get at home. The school summer program, for example, regularly included field trips to such places as Cat Tales and the IMAX Theatre.

“If we expect more, we get more,” he said.

In typical standardized tests, Mester said, students’ testing success tends always to fall along socioeconomic lines. The district is hoping changes in teaching based on the new individualized assessment tests will erase the lines.

“Yes, socioeconomic status might get you so far,” she said. “But realigning the curriculum and practicing performance assessment in the classroom are really the focus. I think then we’ll see a decrease in the effects of socioeconomics.”

, DataTimes