By Jolene Farley
Hills-Beaver Creek third- and fifth-graders turned in a "very solid" performance on the Minnesota Comprehensive Test administered in March, according to Superintendent Dave Deragisch.
"ItÕs not just good teaching," said Superintendent Dave Deragisch at the Oct. 14 school board meeting. "It's good teaching and good learning."
Of 26 fifth-grade students taking the reading portion of the test, 92 percent received a Level III or above.
Students at Level III demonstrate solid performance and competence in the knowledge and skills necessary for satisfactory work in the state's content standards.
Students scoring in Level IV demonstrate advanced academic performance, knowledge and skills that exceed the level necessary for satisfactory work in the state's content standards.
Across the state in the reading portion of the test, only 64 percent of students scored a Level III or better, according to the Minnesota Department of Children, Families and Learning website.
Of 27 Hills-Beaver Creek third-graders taking the reading portion of the test, 63 percent received a Level III or above. Statewide, 49 percent achieved a Level III or better.
In the math portion of the test, 92 percent of 26 fifth-graders taking the test achieved a Level III or better. The state average is 53 percent.
While 70 percent of Hills-Beaver Creek third-graders received a Level III or better in mathematics, 48 percent reached that level statewide.
Scores for the writing portion of the test for fifth-graders weren't available on the website as of this writing.
Statewide, public school third- and fifth-graders who took the tests in 2002 achieved similar results to last year.
Despite improvement in narrative and problem-solving writing assignments, about the same percentages of students fell into the same achievement levels in 2002 as 2001.