RC test results drop in 8th grade

By Danielle Strenke
Rush City tenth graders significantly outperformed the state average, with a passing rate of 97.1 percent on their Basic Skills Tests taken in January, a recent report showed. The state passing rate was 90.8 percent. Rush Cityís scores were nearly identical to last yearís score of 97.2 percent passing.
But the percentages of Rush City eighth graders passing the Basic Skills Tests decreased in both reading and math this year.
Rush City High School Principal Mark Saari received this yearís scores April 15 and presented the scores to the Rush City School Board at its regular meeting that night.
He said although he and the eighth-grade teachers were disappointed, ìit isnít time to push the panic button because of one yearís scores.î
This year, 78 percent of eighth graders passed the reading test, while 68 percent passed the math test. Those numbers decreased from 90 percent passing reading and 86 passing math in 2002.
Saari said he was particularly concerned with math scores dropping nearly 20 percent from 2002 to 2003.
He told the board that he would be going back and talking with teachers and eighth-grade students this week, in hopes of encouraging those who failed to take the test again.
The state offers a re-take in July for all those who failed the March tests.
The state average for reading this year was 81 percent passing, with an average of 72 percent passing math.
In a telephone interview Monday, Saari said it was important to work with those students who failed to get them to take the tests again, but not time to panic.
ìIn reading, we had steady increases in the last five years before this. Weíre just going to look at what worked last year and why it isnít working this year,î he said.
On the positive side, Saari reported that 12 students received perfect scores on the reading test, and one student received a perfect score on the math test. The only student to record a perfect score on the math test also received a perfect score on the reading test.
ìThere were others that had only one or two wrong on both portions of the test, so there are positives,î Saari said.

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