Students score well on ARMT
Published 12:00 am Friday, August 12, 2011
Students in all three school systems met or exceeded goals on the Alabama Reading and Math Test, officials said Wednesday.
Andalusia City Schools scored 90 percent or better in all areas except seventh grade math.
ACS superintendent Ted Watson said when he received the test scores he was relieved.
“Any time you pull up your scores and see an all-green field from the state department there is immediate relief because you have met the annual measurable objectives for another year,” he said. “We were especially proud of our students and staff this past year. We knew that AES and AMS had made adequate yearly progress numbers, but when the official report was released our teachers’ efforts were really brought to light.”
The results are from end-of-the-year testing from last school year.
For Covington County Schools, third graders scored 91 percent in reading and 86 percent in mathematics.
In Opp, third graders scored 92 percent in reading and 93 percent in math.
In Andalusia, third graders scored 97 percent in reading and 97 percent in math.
The annual measurable objective for third graders was 88 percent proficiency in reading and 84 percent in math.
Covington County fourth graders scored 93 percent in reading and 86 percent in mathematics.
Opp’s fourth graders scored 95 percent in reading and 88 percent in math.
Andalusia fourth graders scored 93 percent in reading and 94 percent in math.
For AYP goals, schools needed 86 percent proficiency in reading and 83 percent in math.
Fifth graders in the Covington County School system scores 92 percent in reading and 91 percent in math.
At Opp, fifth graders score 88 percent in reading and 93 percent in math.
Fifth graders at Andalusia Elementary School scored 93 percent in reading and 93 percent in math.
Fifth graders needed 88 percent in reading and 82 percent in math.
Opp sixth graders scored 93 percent in reading and 81 percent in math.
Covington County, scored 91 percent in reading and 85 percent in math.
Andalusia Middle School sixth graders scored 96 percent in reading and 92 percent in math.
The AMO was 89 percent in reading and 74 percent in math.
Seventh graders in Covington County scored 90 percent in reading and 80 percent in math.
At AMS, students scored 92 percent in reading and 88 percent in math.
Opp’s seventh graders scored 88 percent in reading and 88 percent in math.
The seventh grade AMO in reading was 84 percent and 74 percent in math.
Eighth graders scored 82 percent in reading and 83 percent in math in the county schools.
Andalusia eighth graders scored 92 percent in reading and 90 percent in math.
The eighth grade AMO in reading was 76 percent and 78 percent in math.
Opp students scored 88 percent in reading and 92 percent in math.
Covington County Schools superintendent Terry Holley said he was pleased with the results.
“We did very well in Covington County Schools,” he said. “We achieved well above the required AMOs.”
Andalusia Middle School principal Vickie Anderson said that all of the students in the middle school scored higher than they did on previous ARMTs, which she said is successful.
“Not all went from a two to a three, she said. “But every child increased. Everyone can’t score a four, but for those who moved up we find that successful.”
Anderson said her students stopped by during the summer to see how they did on the test.
“The kids were very excited,” she said.
Anderson credited the school’s success with the one-on-one intervention the faculty put into play last school year.
“We have a great faculty,” she said. “They all work together. It wasn’t just the reading and math teachers, all of our teachers intervened.”
Opp superintendent Michael Smithart said administrators are “proud of our performance on the ARMT.”
“Our students scored exceptionally well and this is a testament to their work and the dedication of our staff,” he said. “Although we are proud of our work, we are by no means satisfied. In some of these areas, we exceeded the minimum requirement by over 14 percent. We have to keep in mind AYP is a minimum standard.”
Smithart said that OCS officials will continue with initiatives that have been implemented over the past few years.
“We have truly reaped the benefits of some benchmark testing programs,” he said. “We have some areas we need to improve. We have identified those and work has begun.”
“We know that until No Child Left Behind is reauthorized before 2014, the AMOs will continue to rise until 100 percent proficiency becomes the standard for making AYP in all school systems,” Watson said. “That number is totally unrealistic, but I’m impressed enough with these scores to know that our teachers and students are working hard to attain perfection by 2014.”