On Tuesday, the Wyoming Department of Education released the statewide scores for the Proficiency assesments for Wyoming Students (PAWS) test administered in the spring, and the scores show a drop in statewide averages in almost every category and grade level between the 2007 and 2008 tests. However, said Jim McBride, Wyoming superintendent of public instruction, the real comparison is between 2006 and 2008. For the 2007 test, students were allowed to take all or portions of the test at two different times during the year, and the higher score in each category was recorded.

In 2006, students took the test only once during the school year. After the 2007 test, a task force was assembled to look at PAWS test issues and one of its recommendations was to return to administering the test once instead of twice.

In mathematics, every grade level throughout the state increased the number of students who scored proficient or advanced, the two scores associated with meeting or exceedign federal standards. Thirteen percent more eighth graders scored proficient or advanced in 2008 than in 2006, the highest increase out of all the grade levels.

Students also improved in reading, the highest increase in scores being among fourth graders. Many students beat their own scores from the 2006 test. In 2008, 65.5 percent of fifth-grade students scored at advanced or proficient levels in the reading category, whereas in 2006, 61 percent of those same students scored advanced or proficient.

McBride said the department was satisfied with the increases in reading scores.

One area that saw minimal progress, and in some cases a decrease in scores, was writing. The number of eighth graders scoring advanced or proficient dropped by 6.8 percent from 2006, and students in grades seven and five dropped by 1.4 percent and 0.9 percent, respectively. The percentage of third grade students scoring advanced or proficient remained steady and grades four, six and seven saw slight increases. The 11th grade, however, saw a 14 percent increase in students who met the standards.

“We continue to perform well in reading and math across all grade levels,” McBride said. “In the area of writing we continue to have concerns.”

McBride said the department is hoping to increase the amount of writing done in other courses.

McBride said the PAWS test is just a snapshot of how students are faring in their education and that the department is encouraging districts to use many small tests throughout the year to help gain a better perspective of their programs throughout the year..

Other information released Tuesday included the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) scores. The AYP evaluates school districts and individual schools based on a wide range of criteria to find which schools are lagging behind federal standards and in what areas.

This year, 87 schools are listed as not meeting the AYP, compared to 22 in 2007. McBride characterized the increase as significant and laid some of the responsibility on the increasing standards built into the No Child Left Behind Act. Elementary schools were expected to reach 53.6 percent of students advanced or proficient in language arts and 49.2 percent advanced or proficient in math this year. Middle schools were expected to reach 56.33 percent in language arts and 50.2 percent in math and high schools were expected to reach 65.6 percent in language arts and 57.2 percent in math. This an average increase of 11 percent from the 2007 standards.

Only one school in Goshen County has not met the 2008 AYP. Torrington Middle School did not meet standards in the “Individual Education Plan” (IEP) areas for math and language arts. IEPs are most often used for special education students. TMS has not met AYP standards for IEP in language arts for three years.

The school is now in Improvement Year Two status. Schools that are in improvement status must address the specific areas that are deficient and receive assistance from the state to help meet standards.

McBride said that most, if not all, of the schools that have not met the AYP for 2008 have made progress, just not enough to meet the increased standards. McBride also noted that Wyoming’s schools have progressed far better than some other states.

The standards will remain at these levels until 2011, when they will increase again with a goal of 100 percent in all categories by 2014. McBride said he would recommend that Wyoming schools and districts use the 2011 numbers as a goal to reach during the next few years so as not to be left behind when the standards increase.



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