Kaneland District 302 releases PARCC results
Maple Park, IL - The local PARCC scores were released today and Kaneland School Superintendent Dr. Todd Leden cautioned people not to read too much into the results of the first-time tests.
"As State Superintendent Dr. Tony Smith emphasized when the statewide results were released, this is a completely different type of assessment than we've ever had and these results simply set a baseline," Dr. Leden said.
In addition, PARCC standards are internationally benchmarked. Previous tests were benchmarked against state standards, and this change has created a perception of lower test scores when in fact they are simply different.
Overall, Kaneland scores at the 3-8 grade levels are comparable to those in Kane County and across the state of Illinois.
The following shares the district average of students meeting in level four or five as a composite score created by multiple subtests in each content areas.
As you can see, Kaneland math scores are above state average in all grades, and reading scores are above state level in all grade levels but third grade. At this time, in grades 3-8, we are utilizing the PARCC scores to set the baseline for future test administrations as well as being one reference point that will compliment local assessment data collected. We are proud of our students' scores for the first testing period of PARCC.
Kaneland School District Averages (percent of students proficient):
• Grade 3- District Average: Reading 33.5, Math 53.6
• Grade 4-District Average: Reading 49.7, Math 38.5
• Grade 5-District Average: Reading 49.9, Math 50.4
• Grade 6- District Average: Reading 46.6, Math 38.9
• Grade 7-District Average: Reading 43.5 Math 32.0
• Grade 8- District Average: Reading 43.3, Math 32.2
State Averages (percent of students proficient):
• Grade 3- Reading 34, Math 36
• Grade 4- Reading 37, Math 28
• Grade 5- Reading 37, Math 27
• Grade 6- Reading 33, Math 26
• Grade 7- Reading 37, Math 27
• Grade 8- Reading 38, Math 31
At Kaneland High School, the results (3 percent in ELA, 11 percent in math) do not accurately reflect the expected performance and academic capabilities of our high school students. There are several factors that may have contributed to these scores which include: the majority of Kaneland juniors "opted out" of the test, standardized test fatigue, focus on AP tests, and final exam preparation toward the end of the year. Once we have individual test results for students, we will take some time to compare students scores to other academic data such as ACT scores and their grade-point average (GPA) as an internal auditing mechanism to gauge effort and preparedness.
In response to this statewide concern of over-testing juniors, the state has reduced the time commitment required for the PARCC assessment at all levels and Kaneland has changed the assessment group from juniors to Algebra 1/English 9 students for the spring of 2016. The district believes that this will provide a more valuable set of data for students in grades 3-9 and will relieve the assessment burden on our juniors.
Dr. Leden went on to say, "We know that success in Algebra 1 is a key indicator for college and career readiness. We are eager to gather baseline data this spring using the PARCC assessment. We plan to use these results the way they were intended to be used. They will inform curriculum decisions in our district, and assist us as we develop our strategic plan."
"Our students and their education experience in Kaneland schools are not defined by a single test score," Dr. Leden said.