Third graders’ scores well above state average

OROVILLE – Oroville Elementary School students scored at or above state targets in nearly every grade level, with third graders scoring especially high in reading and math.

The Washington State report card is out and Oroville Elementary has met every target overall for the Annual Measurable Objectives (AMO), according to OES Principal Joan Hoehn.

“What does this mean? There are five overall reading and math targets for Oroville Elementary school: All students, Hispanic students, White students, Limited English students and Low-income students. In all of these student groups, Oroville Elementary exceeded the Washington State target,” said Hoehn.

The AMO results have replaced the AYP (Annual Yearly Progress) since the Washington waiver was approved this year. Oroville Elementary had some exceptionally high scores in all individual grade levels in reading.

The state’s grade level targets for third, fourth, fifth and sixth grade Reading are 66.9, 57.5, 53.1 and 57.7 percent, respectfully.

“Our score in third grade reading was 94.6 percent,” said Hoehn.

All grade level targets exceeded the state grade level targets: fourth grade, 57.9 percent; fifth grade, 57.5 percent and sixth grade, 66.7 percent.

In Math, Oroville’s third grade students raised the bar high again as 81.1 percent of the third grade students met proficiency while the state level target is 49.1 percent.

“Overall, 52.6 percent of fourth grade students met proficiency with the state level target at 48.6 percent,” Hoehn said. “The state’s level target for sixth grade is 33 percent and Oroville Elementary had 43.8 percent of our sixth grade students meeting proficiency.”

The fifth grade classes overall fell short of the state’s 55.2 percent, however. Only 35 percent of the fifth grade students met proficiency.

“Therefore, we are concentrating on math at this level. However, our accumulative score for math was a difference of 6.5 percent above the target for the state; and therefore, Oroville Elementary met this target,” she said.

Hoehn said that when comparing the third grade overall Measurements of Student Progress (MSP) reading score of 87.5% with nearby schools, Oroville exceeded others by over 30 percent (Tonasket was 50.7 percent and Brewster at 54.4 percent). The math MSP overall score for third grade, 75 percent, was 28.3 percent above Tonasket and 11.8 percent above Brewster.

“Writing is assessed in only fourth grade. Sixty-one percent of the 2011-2012 fourth grade students met standards in writing. This is highest number of students meeting standards in writing our school has had since the state started assessing writing,” she said.

The principal credits parents and grandparents and volunteer mentors, like those in the HOSTS (Help One Student to Succeed) reading program with aiding the students achieve such high scores.

“Our students, your children or grandchildren, did outstanding work last spring during completion of these tests. Please continue to support your students, our teachers and staff, and our school,” said Hoehn.