Published: March 24, 2009 09:45 pm      

Preliminary OC TAKS reading scores in for 2009

Numbers as good as or better than 2008

The preliminary results are in for the first administration of the reading section of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills, and scores remain on par or have improved when compared to 2008.

Students in third, fifth and eighth grades across the state of Texas recently took part in the first administration of the TAKS reading test, including all five school districts in Orange County.

Leading the way were students in the Bridge City Independent School District, as 97 percent of third grade students, 96 percent of fifth grade students and 93 percent of eighth grade students met standard on the first administration.

“In spite of the turmoil created by Hurricane Ike, Bridge City schools continue to shine academically,” said Dr. Jamey Harrison, Bridge City ISD superintendent. “We are extremely excited about these results. We have missed 21 instructional days due to Ike and Gustav, ran a shortened instructional day for several weeks, and used restricted and unfamiliar facilities since the storm.

“Our kids are living in uncertain settings. Our staff members are living in uncertain settings,” he added. “We are all dealing with tragedies both at home and at work. Despite all of those challenges, our kids and our staff have worked extremely hard to maintain the high academic standards of our district and of our community. I am proud of our entire community for the resiliency it has shown in the face of this disaster. These results are yet another example of that resiliency and determination.”

To meet the test “standard” score, the Texas Education Agency has determined a campus must have students successfully pass 70 percent of the TAKS reading section. All of the Bridge City scores exceed the standard for achieving an Exemplary Rating, the highest possible rating, from the TEA, which is 90 percent.

“All of these scores are very similar, or higher, than last year. With the challenges that have been created for this school year, we are extremely proud of maintaining and improving our performance from last year,” Harrison added.

B.C.I.S.D. Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Gina Mannino, says the district is focusing on excellence.

“We are certainly very pleased that so many students met the passing standard,” Mannino said. “I am exceptionally proud, though, that we continue to see more and more kids earning commended performance recognition. We are focusing and pushing toward excellence for all kids, not just minimum standards. These scores and the large numbers of students earning high marks speaks very well for our students and for our teachers and staff.”

Students in the West Orange-Cove Consolidated Independent School District remained consistent when compared to the 2007-2008 TAKS results.

After the first administration, 74 percent of third grade students met standard, which is down 1 percentage point from last year, while 62 percent of fifth grade students met standard, which is down 2 percentage points.

However, 86 percent of eighth grade students met standard on the first administration of the reading TAKS, which is an improvement of 1 percentage point from last year.

“Given the context of the school year, I’m really pleased with these results,” said Dr. O. Taylor Collins, West Orange-Cove CISD superintendent. “There is room for improvement and we are identifying the ‘bubble’ students so we can get them across on the second administration.”

Collins knows the loss of classroom time because of Hurricane Ike has impacted the vital time needed for some students to successfully complete the TAKS test.

“Given the socio-economic background of our students, more time is typically needed for them to master the TAKS test,” Collins added. “We know where we are now and where we need to take them on the next assessment. We believe our scores will drastically improve, and these next two months of school are very important.”

Students in the Orangefield Independent School District performed well on the reading TAKS as 96 percent of third-graders, 88 percent of fifth-graders, and 99 percent of eighth-graders met standard.

At the three elementary schools in Vidor ISD, scores remained stable for third grade children for the most part.

Vidor Elementary improved seven percentage points over last year as 98 percent met standard, while Pine Forest improved from 98 percent to 99 percent this year.

Oak Forest’s scores dropped from a perfect 100 percent in 2008 to 94 percent meeting standard after the first administration in 2009.

Meanwhile, reading results improved from 84 percent to 88 percent at Vidor Middle School and from 89 percent to 95 percent at Vidor Junior High.

Third grade results in the Little Cypress-Mauriceville school district are similar as 92 percent of Little Cypress Elementary students met standard and 93 percent at Mauriceville Elementary met standard on the first administration.

Meanwhile, 91 percent of fifth grade students at Little Cypress Intermediate met standard earlier this month compared to 85 percent at Mauriceville Elementary.

Ninety-three percent of the eighth grade students at Little Cypress Junior High met standard, while 91 percent of eighth graders at Mauriceville Middle School met standard in March.

Eighty-four percent of Deweyville Elementary third-graders met standard this month, while 80 percent of fifth-grade students met standard. Scores at Deweyville Middle School remain high for eighth grade students as 98 percent met standard.