ERIC Number: ED250826
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1984-Nov
Pages: 36
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
How Stayton School District Dramatically Improved Its Test Scores.
McCormack, Wallace
OSSC Bulletin, v28 n3 Nov 1984
Without changing teaching methods or asking for additional funds, a small western Oregon elementary school district made dramatic gains in test scores in less than one school year. The superintendent spearheaded a cooperative effort by the district's administrators and teachers to revise the curriculum, beginning by compiling and displaying, in percentile rankings, the district's California Test of Basic Skills (CTBS) scores, and packaging the data in sets of booklets for distribution to teachers. Teachers looked at the district curriculum guides and studied the achievement tests to determine what domains were being tested and when certain items were to be covered during the school year. Then new curriculum guides were prepared. Improvement in the CTBS scores was dramatic: in fall 1983, 16 of the 21 scores were below the 50th percentile; in spring 1984, all 21 scores were above the 50th percentile. Interviews with the school board chairman, two principals, and three teachers confirmed that the most important factor for the improvement was that curriculum instruction and testing were evaluated and brought back into alignment. Other factors included involvement and cooperation by the board, superintendent, principals, and teachers. The appendixes illustrate percentile rating of CTBS scores for each grade, over time, and include a middle school classroom observations worksheet. (MLF)
Descriptors: Academic Achievement, Administrator Role, Change Strategies, Curriculum Evaluation, Educational Improvement, Elementary Education, Norm Referenced Tests, School Districts, Scores, Superintendents, Teacher Administrator Relationship
Publication Sales, Oregon School Study Council, University of Oregon, 1787 Agate Street, Eugene, OR 97403 ($4.00; quantity discounts).
Publication Type: Collected Works - Serials; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Administrators; Practitioners
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Oregon School Study Council, Eugene.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A