AHS sophomore test scores on par with state

Published 12:00 am Thursday, April 3, 2003

Austin sophomores passed the basic skills writing test at about the same rate as the rest of Minnesota, according to results released Tuesday.

Among all Austin public schools, 91.6 percent passed the test, which is a state requirement for graduation. Statewide, 91 percent of students passed. That is the same percentage as last year.

Educational Services Director Sheila Berger said comparing year to year in a small area like Austin is not useful.

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"It's an increase from last year," she said. "But we're not comparing apples to apples. It's not the same set of kids."

She said over the last four years, the percentage of Austin students passing has ranged from 86 percent to 94 percent.

The results can be broken down into categories like gender and ethnic groups to see if certain groups' needs are not being met.

As far as studying group results, Berger said the school will probably focus more on the ESL and special education students' performances. She said writing tests were especially difficult for ESL students.

"ESL kids struggle with writing," she said. "As you learn a new language, first you learn to speak it, then you learn to read it, then you learn to process it and write it … that's tough to do."

Tests like these could be on their way out, though. Berger said they might become obsolete because they do not fit into the new federal education standards, No Child Left Behind.

"As we test more and more for federal requirements, this may become a fringe we can't afford," she said.

Overall, she was pleased with the results.

"We'd love to have everyone pass the first time, to get it out of the way and move on," she said. "But these are good results."

Matt Merritt can be reached at 434-2214 or by e-mail at :mailto:matt.merritt@austindailyherald.com