Test Scores Help Hone Schoolwork

Thu., Oct. 29, 1998

Amy Scribner Staff writer

Spokane School District elementary teachers spent October dissecting the newest batch of results from the state assessment tests.

Now they’re working on a larger task: how to translate those numbers into classroom solutions.

Teachers in each elementary school met in special focus groups this month to discuss their test results, and how to develop new teaching strategies based on that data.

It’s a step up from last year, when low scores from the brand new tests confused and frustrated many teachers.

“Last year, people were in kind of a shock mode,” district area director Nancy Stowell told school board members Wednesday night.

Now, she says, schools are valuing the information the test results provide.

Districtwide, fourth-grade students this year showed marked improvement in all subjects except writing. Seventh-graders - who took the test for the first time - scored poorly in math, reading and writing, but 80 percent met the listening standards.

Seventh-grade staff will have similar focus groups next month to discuss results.

Tenth-grade students took a pilot version of the test, and won’t receive scores this year.

Already, District 81 elementary classrooms are undergoing transformations because of the tests.

In some schools, students gather in “math communities” on Friday afternoons, solving math problems in groups so they learn to explain their answers.

Other kids are finding more intensive writing assignments in their schedule.

At Grant Elementary, a pilot program started this year means fourth-grade students swap teachers for different subjects, including math, social studies and language arts.

“We’re doing a totally different way of teaching,” Grant Principal Steve Indgjerd said. “We’re hoping because we’re specializing, we can improve our scores.”

Teachers are doing their homework as well, organizing regular grade level and schoolwide meetings to coordinate efforts to prepare students for testing. They also are receiving more math training.

“There is enormous activity taking place at the district level and the building level,” said Associate Superintendent Cynthia Lambarth. “It’s going to be an ongoing process.”

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.