RC students doing great in writing tests: Math scores puzzle staff, will be focus of summer study

Posted 5/16/01

RC students doing great in writing tests: Math scores puzzle staff, will be focus of summer study

By MaryHelen Swanson

Only five of the 10th-grade students taking the Minnesota Basic Standards Writing Test this year at Rush City High School did not pass.

The percentage passing has improved each of the three years of the test going from 89 percent in 1998-99 to 92 percent the following year and 93 percent this year.
High School Principal Mark Saari, addressing the school board last week, said he was ìreal pleasedî with those results.

The state average is 92 percent and a look at surrounding school districts finds Rush City right up there and even surpassing some of the other schools in writing test results.

Cause for some concern

Rush Cityís 8th-grade students, tested in reading and math each year, continue to show good results in reading but have fluctuated in math over the six years of testing and that is cause for concern for district administration and the school board.

In reading, with the exception of the 1996-97 school year, the passing percentage has been increasing steadily. This year 84 percent of the students passed (62 out of 74 tested).
But the math results have gone up and down each year after getting off to a good start in 1995-96 when 82 percent passed. This year 72 percent passed.

The results, Saari said, are disappointing, and he wants to get a handle on why these scores are not consistently going up, too.

Neither Saari, Superintendent Tim Eklund, nor the board members would accept that it is ìthe classî as some would think, especially when these same students are doing so well in reading.

ìItís not the kids and not the instructors,î Eklund said, ìitís the curriculum. We need to attack the curriculum.î

Apparently it is the lower ability students who are having the most trouble and Saari said the district has to find out why it is not giving them what they need in math.

He told the board he is looking at getting the math curriculum people together this summer and charge them with finding some of the answers.

ìI take this personally,î Saari said.

In other business last week, the school board:

ï Learned from member Mark Moulton that the space needs task force will be forthcoming with a recommendation in June

ï Accepted resignations of Jan Goebel, Ryan Trotman, Cheryl Stahl and Anna Stromberg. Stromberg also asked for medical disability leave to the end of the year which was denied upon recommendation of Supt. Eklund. He said she had sick leave enough to see her through to the end of the year.

ï Hired Daryl Willert as Custodian II, Anita Larsen as Elem Spec. Ed, and Julie Ausmus as ECFE/School readiness; and renewed employment contracts with Lee Rood, Aquatic Center manager and Jeremy Albright, asst. manager.

ï Approved tenure for Lee Rood, Cathy Tryggestad, Christie Dunkley, Shawn Chinn, Jeremy Albright, Stuart Lang and Jason Haugen, and Pamela Gladitsch, Title I (part-time).

ï Learned that there are several unfilled advertised positions including: secondary social studies, secondary business, cheerleading, jr. high boys and girls basketball, jr. high volley ball, cross country asst. and elementary principal secretary.

ï Approved dismissal time of 1:30 on the last day of school.

ï Learned that, by the end of June, the district will have spent $46,000 more in energy costs than the previous year or $166,000 for all school facilities.