Low scores put focus on reading at Batavia High

Batavia High School teachers may be teaching more reading skills this year, regardless of the subject they teach.

Reading scores of high school students on the PSAE standardized test were down 6 percent this year, said Jan Wright, associate superintendent for teaching and learning.

Wright presented standardized test scores from the ISAT, PSAE and ACT tests to the Batavia School Board on Tuesday night.

For the most part, scores remained relatively constant or increased gradually, she said.

Board members discussed the drop in reading, which didn't occur in other subjects like math, board member Kathleen Roberts noted.

In 2006, 73 percent of Batavia juniors met or exceeded state standards in reading, compared with 67 percent this year.

Wright said the high school staff had already made adding more reading instruction a priority for this year.

At the high school level, the tests measure higher level and technical reading comprehension, she said.

"What we need to do is infuse more of that technical reading into our curriculum, and in subjects other than English," she said.

The math department does analysis into the scores each year, as well as the coursework that's most indicative of getting higher scores on the test, Wright said. Some other departments may begin that as well, she said.

The ACT average composite score went up a tenth of a point, from 21.9 to 22.

"I think our aggregate performance in all subject areas is very good," Wright said. "Our percentage of exceeds (state standards) is improving in most areas."

The full report is available on the district's Web site at www.bps101.net.