Delaware Education News
September
2007
Copyright © 2007 Queue, Inc.
IN THIS ISSUE:
2007 Statewide DSTP Test Results
Released
ACT High School Profile Report
2007 SAT Results Remain Stable
A New Report From The Century Foundation:
How Are Southern (SREB) States Doing?
Southern States Lead the Nation in Advanced
Placement and International Baccalaureate Programs
Two Delaware Youth Honored for Volunteerism at
National Award Ceremony in Washington, D.C.
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The National Council on Teacher Quality has released a 50-state
encyclopedia on statesÕ teacher policies, which concludes that many of
DelawareÕs teacher policies are counterproductive to the nationÕs teacher
quality goals.
While DelawareÕs relative ranking was in the upper half of states,
its overall performance was poor. In the six areas of teacher policy assessed,
the state earned three Cs and three Ds.
¥ Delaware neglects the preparation of special education teachers,
failing to ensure that these teachers are prepared to teach students with
disabilities.
¥ The state has lax oversight of its education schools; doing
little to ensure the quality of students going in and teachers coming out.
¥ The state pays insufficient attention to the content preparation
of elementary teachers, with flawed guidelines that are likely producing
teachers with gaps in essential core subject areas such as American history.
Despite the bleak overall findings, there are a few bright spots.
Delaware does a good job ensuring that its secondary education teachers are
prepared in their subject area. The state is also developing a "student
growth model" reporting student achievement gains over time.
To
see Delaware report:
http://www.nctq.org/stpy/reports/stpy_delaware.pdf
IN
GRADES 2-10
(Dover,
De.) Test scores of nearly 86,000 Delaware students in grades 2-10
continue to level off in reading and mathematics, according to results of the
March 2007 Delaware Student Testing Program (DSTP) released today by Secretary
of Education Valerie A. Woodruff. Scores on this yearÕs two-item writing
test increased or decreased at the elementary, middle and high school levels in
almost all grades.
ÒMany
of our schools have a high percentage of students meeting or exceeding
standards while some schools are struggling to meet the learning needs of all
students,Ó said Secretary of Education Valerie A. Woodruff. ÒOur
collective mission must be to continuously seek out the best curriculum and
instructional practices and to provide professional development to our
teachers,Ó added Woodruff. ÒI am confident that we will see greater
improvement as we move forward.Ó
ÒOne
specific area of great concern remains in mathematics at middle school and high
school,Ó said Woodruff. ÒA math coalition comprised of most school
districts, the Department of Education, the University of Delaware and the
Delaware Foundation for Science and Math Education has been formed to
accelerate our performance in that content area.Ó
This
is the second year statewide testing data is available for grades 2 though10 in
the content areas of reading and math and grades 3 though 10 in writing.
The
2007 results are as follows:
MATHEMATICS: At grades 2-5,
students meeting or exceeding the standard ranges from 86% in grade 2 to 76% in
grade 5. In grades 6-8, middle school student scores range from 74% in
grade 6 to 61% in grade 8. At the high school level, grade 9 students
remained constant at 51% while grade 10 students scored at 57%.
Comparing
test scores to last yearÕs results, 77% of children tested in the third grade
met the standard – a one-percentage point decrease from the scores of
last yearÕs third graders. In the fifth grade, 76% of students tested met
the standard, a one percentage point difference from last year. The
proportion of this yearÕs eighth grade students meeting or exceeding the
standard is at 61%, one percentage point less than last yearÕs eighth graders,
while in the tenth grade, 57% performed at or above standard, two percentage
points higher than the tenth graders of 2006.
READING: In grades 2-5, the
trend is that between 82%-85% of students statewide are meeting the standard in
reading. At the middle school grades, students are scoring at 82%.
At the high school grades, the range of scores is between 72-74%.
Comparing
this yearÕs test score results to the results of 2006, 81% of third grade
students who took the DSTP met or exceeded the standard, a three percentage
point decrease from 2006. Fifth grade reading performance leveled off at
85%, the same as in 2006. Eighty-two percent of eighth grade students
tested met or exceeded the reading standard, a two percentage point decrease
from last year. In the tenth grade, the proportion of students meeting or
exceeding the standard rose slightly to 72%, a one-percentage point increase
from 2006.
WRITING: In grades 3-5,
writing scores of students who met or exceeded the standard fluctuate between
67% in grade 3 to 71% in grade 4 and 62% in grade 5. At the middle school
grades, grade 6 students scored at 68%, grade 7 students scored at 59% while
grade 8 students scored at 78%. At the high school level, grade 9 scored
at 74% while grade 10 students scored at 66%.
Comparing this yearÕs results to 2006, third grade student scores rose to 67% meeting the standard, a six point increase from last yearÕs third graders. Sixty-two percent of fifth grade students met the standard, which is eleven percentage points higher than last yearÕs performance. In the eighth grade, 78% of students tested in writing met the standard which was the same as last yearÕs scores. In the tenth grade, scores decreased to 66% of students meeting the standard, a ten percentage point decrease compared to last year.
Delaware
students in grades 2-10 once again participated in the nationally-normed
Stanford Achievement Test, 10th Edition (SAT 10). Comprising nearly
1/3 of the questions on the DSTP exams in reading and math, the SAT 10 allows
Delaware to compare test results against students in the same grade across the
country who took the test and shows the percentage of Delaware students who
scored as well as or better than other students throughout the nation.
In
math at grades 2-5, rankings ranged from 62% to 74%; in grades 6-8, rankings
ranged from 65% to 68%; and in grades 9 and 10, rankings ranged from 76% to 72%
respectively. In reading, rankings ranged from 67% to 77%; in grades 6-8,
rankings ranged from 65% to 70%; and in grades 9 and 10, students leveled off
at 76% and 72% respectively.
School
personnel, parents, policy makers, and the media are encouraged to visit DOEÕs
web site at http://www.doe.k12.de.us/aab
The
ACT High School Profile Report for each state provides information about the
performance of 2007 graduating seniors who took the ACT as sophomores, juniors,
or seniors. The reports focus on performance, access, course selection, course
rigor, college readiness, awareness, and articulation.
To
see Delaware report:
http://www.act.org/news/data/07/pdf/states/Delaware.pdf
The
College Board, in partnership with National Student Clearinghouse, is now able
to track college-enrollment patterns of SAT takers at the state and national
level.
Available
for the first time this year is the percentage of 2006 college-bound seniors
from public schools enrolled in college and the percentage that chose to enroll
in-state or out-of-state. Information on enrollment by race/ethnicity and type
of institution attended (two year, four year, public, private) is also
available. The College Board will be able to follow each class of SAT takers so
that in future years, additional information, including the percentage of
students successfully completing each year of college, as well as graduation
rates, will be available.
To
see Delaware report:
http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/about/news_info/cbsenior/yr2007/attendance/DE.pdf
The average
mathematics and critical reading scores of Delaware's public and non-public
college-bound seniors who took the SAT Reasoning Test remained stable in
comparison to last yearÕs test scores.
On
the critical reading portion of the SAT Reasoning Test, DelawareÕs students, both
public and non-public, scored an average of 497, a two point increase from last
year. Nationally, students averaged a 502 on the critical reading portion
of the SAT, showing a one point decrease from last year.
The
College Board reported that the average mathematics score of Delaware's
college-bound seniors attending the state's public and nonpublic schools was
496, a four point decrease from 2006. This yearÕs national average math
score is 515, a decrease of three points from 2006.
For
the second year, results were released for the writing portion of the SAT.
For DelawareÕs public and non-public high school seniors, the mean score for
writing was 486, a two point increase from 2006. Nationally, the average
writing score was 494, a three point decrease from last yearÕs results.
DelawareÕs
SAT Reasoning Test participation rate of 72% decreased one percentage point
from 2006 but is still well above the nationÕs participation rate of 48%.
As a result, DelawareÕs participation rate is ranked tenth in the nation.
Public school scores in Delaware also remained stable from last yearÕs results. On the critical reading portion of the SAT Reasoning Test, 4,394 Delaware students (a decrease of 3.0%) averaged 480, a one point increase from last yearÕs results. Nationally, public school students averaged 498 on the critical reading exam, a two point decrease from last year. On the math portion of the SAT, DelawareÕs public school students averaged 483, resulting in a four point decrease from last year. Nationally, public school students averaged 509, a five point loss from last year. On the writing portion of the SAT, Delaware public school students averaged 468, a one point decrease while nationally, students scored 488, a four point decrease.
In
DelawareÕs public schools, nearly 56% of SAT Reasoning Test takers were female
compared to 44% males. However, male test takers outscored their female
counterparts on two portions of the SAT. Male students scored an average
of 484 on the critical reading portion of the exam while female students
averaged 478. In math, male students, on average, scored 502 while female
students scored 469. In writing, female students scored an average of 473
while male students averaged 463.
To
see Delaware report:
http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/about/news_info/cbsenior/yr2007/DE_07.pdf
Communities that are committed to fostering diversity in public
schools were dealt a serious blow today when, in an historic ruling, the U.S.
Supreme Court restricted the ability of school districts to use race as a
factor in school assignment plans. Districts should not give up on integration,
however, says Richard D. Kahlenberg, senior fellow at The Century Foundation. ÒA
growing number of school districts across the country have begun to use
studentsÕ socioeconomic status as a factor in school integration plans,Ó he
says, Òand preliminary evidence suggests such plans can raise academic
achievement and produce racially diverse schools in a manner that is legally
bullet-proof.Ó
He examines twelve such school systems and finds that when
socioeconomic school integration plans are well implemented, they can boost
academic achievement and also provide students with a racially integrated
schooling environment. Rescuing Brown v. Board of Education:
Profiles of Twelve School Districts Pursuing Socioeconomic School Integration features
detailed studies of three leading districts with the longest standing and most
comprehensive socioeconomic integration policies—Wake County (Raleigh),
North Carolina; La Crosse, Wisconsin; and Cambridge, Massachusetts. It also
includes profiles of nine additional communities that are using socioeconomic
status as a factor in assignment—Berkeley, California; Brandywine,
Delaware; Charlotte- Mecklenburg, North Carolina, Manatee County, Florida;
McKinney, Texas; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Omaha, Nebraska; Rochester, New York;
and San Francisco, California. In addition, the report looks at school
districts that may move toward socioeconomic integration. These include
districts already discussing that possibility (including Burlington, Vermont;
and Pasadena, California) as well as districts now employing race as a
criterion which may shift toward socioeconomic status (including Louisville,
Kentucky; Seattle, Washington; Lynn, Massachusetts; and others).
ÒBrown v. Board of Education stood for racial integration of
schools and equal educational opportunity,Ó says Kahlenberg. ÒSchool districts
that are promoting socioeconomic integration are vigorously pursuing both
goals. Given the Supreme CourtÕs decision, socioeconomic integration moves to
the cutting edge of equitable school reform.Ó The report notes that today, most
districts seek to achieve socioeconomic integration through public school
choice and magnet schools rather than compulsory busing.
Rescuing Brown v. Board of Education:
Profiles of Twelve School Districts Pursuing Socioeconomic School Integration :
http://www.tcf.org/publications/education/districtprofiles.pdf
Improving ACT and SAT Scores
Virginia was the only SREB state with an average score in
2006 that topped the national average for its dominant test.
Six ACT states — Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi,
Tennessee and West Virginia, and four SAT states — Georgia,
North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia—kept
pace or gained ground on the national average for their dominant test.
Two ACT states — Alabama and Mississippi—and
one SAT state — Florida—increased the percentage of
high school seniors tested by at least 10 percentage points.
When compared with
national average ACT and SAT scores, the improvement in SREB states also is
significant. In 1997, none of the SREB states surpassed the national average
score for its dominant test. In 2006, one SREB state, Virginia, surpassed the
national average, and eight other SREB states — Arkansas, Georgia,
Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and West
Virginia — narrowed their gaps with the nation.
In all but three SREB states, the percentages of graduating
seniors taking the dominant test increased. Most remarkably, scores improved at
the same time that the percentages of students taking the tests increased in
eight SREB states — Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North
Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.
To see full report, with state by state figures::
http://www.sreb.org/main/Goals/Publications/07E02_ACT_and_SAT_Test_Scores.pdf
Participation
in Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs is
growing in Southern (SREB) states. SREB's Challenge to Lead Goals for Education
recognize AP courses and the IB curriculum as specific ways that states can
engage high school students in more advanced course work. This report addresses
the continued momentum of SREB states in access to and achievement in these
programs, especially for traditionally underserved student groups. It also
offers suggestions for states interested in strengthening their programs.
To see the full report:
http://www.sreb.org/main/Goals/Publications/07E05_Adv_placement.pdf
A
five-member team of high school students from Housatonic Valley High School in
Falls Village, Connecticut, are the winners of the 2007 Canon Envirothon. The
winning team was announced on Friday, August 3rd, during closing
ceremonies of the weeklong North American environmental education competition
held at Hobart & William Smith College in Geneva, N.Y, and sponsored by
Canon U.S.A., Inc.
More
than 260 teenagers from more than 40 U.S. states and nine Canadian provinces
studied environmental issues and resource conservation, while competing for a
share of more than $100,000 in scholarships and prizes.
The
first place Connecticut team received a total of $25,000 in Canon scholarships
along with Canon photographic equipment for their advisor and sponsoring
agency/organizations to use in science education. Northern York High School
from Dillsburg, Pennsylvania ($20,000 and Canon equipment), and the Charter
School of Wilmington, Delaware ($15,000 and Canon equipment), placed second and
third, respectively. The fourth place team, Parkway North High School from St.
Louis, Missouri, received $10,000 and Canon equipment. The fifth place team,
High Tech High School from North Bergen, New Jersey, received $7,500 and Canon
equipment. The list of schools/organizations finishing in the top 10 appears at
the end of this announcement.
The
National Association of Conservation Districts in the U.S., the United States
Department of Agriculture (U.S.D.A) Forest Service and the U.S.D.A Natural
Resource Conservation Service, are Canon Envirothon partners, along with
provincial Forestry Associations in Canada.
The
Canon Envirothon tests teams on their knowledge of soils and land use, aquatic
ecology, forestry, wildlife and an additional current environmental issue. The
theme of this yearÕs competition was Alternative/Renewable Energy, an issue that has
attracted worldwide attention. The competing teams focused on the efficient use
of energy generated from traditional sources and the development of renewable
energy resources.
ÒCanon
would like to congratulate all of the teams competing in this yearÕs
competition,ÕÓ said William Reed, senior vice president and general manager,
Corporate Communications, Canon U.S.A. ÒIt has been truly inspiring to witness
the commitment demonstrated by the teams, who are so dedicated to helping
preserve North AmericaÕs most valuable resources for future generations.Ó
The
Canon Envirothon is the culmination of a series of competitions that began
during the past school year and involved more than 500,000 teenagers throughout
North America. In written tests and oral presentations, starting on the local
level, winning five-member teams from schools and organizations competed for
the distinction of representing their state or province at the Canon
Envirothon.
Each
teamÕs knowledge is tested under the supervision of foresters, soil scientists,
wildlife specialists and other natural resource professionals. Teamwork,
problem solving and presentation skills are evaluated as each team offers a
panel of judges an oral presentation containing recommendations for solving the
specific challenge that is presented during the competition.
The
2008 competition will be held at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff,
Arizona, July 28th through August 3rd, 2008.
Super Bowl MVP Peyton
Manning Pays Tribute to Young Heroes as part of Four-Day Recognition Events
Two
Delaware students, Stephanie Seitz, 18, of Wilmington and Taylor Richey, 11, of
Bridgeville were honored in the nationÕs capital for their outstanding
volunteer work during the presentation of The 2007 Prudential Spirit of
Community Awards. The two young people – along with 100 other top youth
volunteers from across the country – received $1,000 awards as well as
personal congratulations from Indianapolis Colts quarterback and Super Bowl MVP
Peyton Manning at the 12th annual award ceremony and gala dinner
reception, held at the SmithsonianÕs National Museum of Natural History.
Stephanie
and Taylor were named the top high school and middle level youth volunteers in
Delaware last February. In addition to their cash awards, they received
engraved silver medallions and an all-expense-paid trip with their parents to
Washington, D.C.
Stephanie,
a senior at Ursuline Academy, provides a wide range of volunteer services to a
small Catholic middle school attended by boys of all faiths from low-income
families. When she read in an article that Nativity Preparatory School needed
volunteers, she decided to investigate. ÒFrom the moment I became involved, I
knew this was a special place,Ó she said.
Stephanie
began by tutoring the fifth- to eighth-graders in the evening and just doing
Òwhatever was asked of me,Ó she said. When she became aware of the schoolÕs
desperate need for stationery supplies, she recruited fellow students to help
her organize a stationery collection drive at her school, and then coordinated
two Òjean daysÓ that raised more than $600 to buy workbooks for Nativity Prep.
Stephanie also painted classrooms, catalogued books, organized office files,
and helped coach the schoolÕs baseball team. ÒBeing at Nativity, I realize that
some of the things I take for granted are viewed as a luxury by the boys,Ó she
said. ÒWorking with the students has made me appreciate my family and all the
opportunities I have even more.Ó
Taylor,
a member of Girl Scouts of The Chesapeake Bay Council in Newark and a
fifth-grader at Phyllis Wheatley Middle School in Bridgeville, raised funds to
purchase toys, games and other play equipment for children undergoing treatment
for cancer at A.I. Dupont Hospital in Wilmington. ÒI was hospitalized there all
summer and I was bored,Ó said Taylor, who suffers from a rare skin and muscle
disease. The hospital didnÕt have much to entertain young patients, she said,
and when a water leak destroyed the few toys, books, video games and movies
that were there, Taylor decided to help. ÒI wanted to do something to make
other kids happy,Ó she said.
Taylor
made plans to conduct a raffle at a local festival for one of two bicycles she
had won in summer reading programs. After her friend and school nurse offered
to shave her own head if Taylor raised more than $3,000, Taylor received donations
of over $5,000 from friends and community members. Taylor then purchased so
many books, puzzles, movies, art supplies and play stations that it took
several trips to deliver everything. Taylor also has raised money to send
supplies to troops overseas, and to buy books for her school library.