KINGMAN - Local elementary schools may have fared poorly on the math portion of the Arizona Instrument Measuring Standards (AIMS) test this past year, but they were by no means the only schools whose scores suffered. Today, the Miner looks at how local middle schools did, and the results are, unfortunately, much the same.
Statewide, the percentage of children who either met or exceeded the state math standards for sixth, seventh and eighth grade fell to 56, 57, and 56 percent, respectively - each marking a decline of 7 percent or more from 2009. That drop was reflected in local schools' scores, which largely fell by similar amounts, due in part to new math standards that caught some grade levels off guard.
According to Kingman Unified School District Assessment Director Gretchen Dorner, the biggest concern this year were the sixth-grade classes, which posted by far the greatest drops in math. Both White Cliffs Middle School and Kingman Middle School sixth-graders saw their passing math scores drop by 20 percent, to 33 and 34 percent, respectively.
"Kingman Middle and White Cliffs both struggled," Dorner said. "But we're not looking for excuses, we're looking for reasons. We're trying to decide if it was an instructional delivery issue or if it's a transition issue, that our sixth-graders are struggling with transitioning to a middle school."
Dorner added that the district would be giving full-time data and coaching support to White Cliffs and Kingman Middle School to analyze their data, support their teaching strategies and work on the standards mapping and instructional delivery.
"Something's going on in the middle schools in sixth grade primarily, and we want to find out what it is," she said.
Sixth-graders at Black Mountain School in Golden Valley fared much better, though their scores also fell eight points to 51 percent. Dorner noted that, due to the low math scores, none of the district's middle schools have met the state's Annual Yearly Progress threshold.
"Black Mountain did a very similar thing to Palo Christi (Elementary School); they had a very intensive tutoring program where they were benchmarking their students constantly and then they were adjusting their instruction and tutoring based on the results," Dorner said. "They paid attention to the new math standards and they adjusted their instruction as they were going through the year."
That said, however, Black Mountain's seventh- and eighth-graders saw much larger declines in math, falling from 57 and 48 in 2009 to 38 and 32 in 2010. White Cliffs Middle School also saw large drops in seventh and eighth grade, while Kingman Middle School's losses were confined to seventh grade, with eighth grade dropping just two points year-over-year.
Mt. Tipton School in Dolan Springs also saw large drops in its middle school math scores, though the relatively small enrollment there means individual students have a much greater impact on the overall percentages.
Reading scores were not affected by new standards this year, and the scores show it - most KUSD middle schoolers saw little change in their reading scores, with only small changes up or down over last year. For the most part, the trend was positive, with most cohorts seeing their scores rise by one to five points, though several also dropped by similar amounts, such as White Cliffs' seventh-graders, whose scores fell from 69 to 67 percent passing.
"We didn't have to adjust our instructional delivery in reading that much because the standards stayed the same," Dorner said. "We've got a handle on what the standards are and what works."
As with its elementary school, scores at Kingman Academy of Learning's middle school remained above the state average, though its math scores also dropped by 6 to 10 points depending on the grade level. Reading scores rose throughout each grade, however, with KAOL Middle seventh-graders posting an impressive jump of 10 points to 90 percent meeting the state standard.
At the same time, AIMS writing scores fell across the board at KAOL, with sixth grade plummeting from 82 to 59 percent, falling below the state average of 72. District Administrator Susan Chan admitted that she was puzzled by the drop, though she believed it could be in part because of the subjective nature of the test and the fact that children will react to different writing prompts in different ways.
"There's descriptive prompts, there's persuasive, and some prompts are easier to write to than others," she said. "It's one of the reasons we're going to focus more on vocabulary development next year. If you have rich vocabulary, you can make a better statement in your writing."
But KAOL wasn't the only school affected by the writing test. Sixth-grade writing fell across the state, as well as at KUSD, with Kingman Middle and White Cliffs each posting a drop of 13 points or more.
"The students' ability to write doesn't change from one year to another, but the scoring is subjective," Dorner said. "The range or the deviation between scores seems to be greater in writing."
She added that, in some cases, the writing prompts simply may not have been familiar enough for many students to write about knowledgeably. Given the area's rural character, Dorner said there are many issues that local children simply haven't been exposed to that others in more cosmopolitan communities have.
"It's got to have some sort of personal relevance, and sometimes the prompts will not motivate a strong response because, 'Well, what do I know about that?'" she said.
This is the second in a three-part series on local AIMS scores. Look for high school scores and analysis in the Miner later this week.
Posted: Friday, July 30, 2010
Article comment by:
Deanna O.
@Kingman Teacher....I've had four children, ranging from Kindergarten to Highschool, attending Kingman school, long before there was even KAOL. My children have never attended charter school, and I can tell you that I have fought, mainly with the highschool, for the past 4 years. Everytime my child goes to school with a plain jacket, he/she is told by heavily coated faculty, to take the jacket off! If KAOL allows jackets, maybe I should consider a transfer.
Posted: Friday, July 30, 2010
Article comment by:
just wondering
I have 2 grandsons who are excellent students and respectful. But when the youngest one's teacher was more interested in telling him if he didn't go to church he would go to hell, than teaching him math, I see this as a problem. There is supposed to be zero tolerance of bullies, yet when my grandson would tell the teacher or yard duty he was getting hit by a certain boy (known bully), nothing was done, so we told our grandson to talk to the boy and try to work things out, the violence didn't stop, so my daughter told her son next time the bully hit him to hit back. Guess what My Grandson was sent to the office & was going to be put on detention, because my daughter & son-in-law work, I went to the school. I asked what is being done about the bully? The principal said he has a bad home life, I said & that is the reason he can beat on my grandson when he feels like it and my grandson will be put on detention for defending himself, she said yes. I told my grandson, if she puts you on detention call me & I will come & get you. My daughter pulled both boys out & they have been home-schooled for the past 4 years. They get excellent grades, pass their AIMS testing with flying colors, interact with their peers at different functions throughout the year, there are more field trips. Its just better all around.
Posted: Friday, July 30, 2010
Article comment by:
Kingman Teacher
@Deanna - no matter what we say or write about coats, some parents just don't understand. Your child is ALWAYS advised to wear a coat in cold weather at KAOL. They may only wear uniform sweatshirts, but when the weather is colder they are encouraged to wear heavy coats of any type to school. This has always been the case. Please read the uniform policy carefully.
Posted: Friday, July 30, 2010
Article comment by:
Not so fast
@Diego Fiero, You should check your facts before making outlandish statements. I have spent many volunteer hours over that past 11 year at KOAL. Your statement couldn't be farther from the truth. Here's the truth, KAOL not only hires quality teachers, they have a much more hands on approach. They require parent's to volunteer weekly, therefore you have parents much more involved in there children's education. Go to a KAOL campus anytime of day and you will see parents everywhere. Educating children is a partnership between teachers and parents. That is what KUSD is missing, that is what makes the difference. Nice try but your wrong!
Posted: Friday, July 30, 2010
Article comment by:
To nice chuckle
I agree with you. I know of several parents who have allowed their kids to drop out of high school, and now just "hang out" with no ambitions whatsoever. The parents allowed it to happen. Plus these kids end up having kids and pass on these skills so its no wonder....
Posted: Thursday, July 29, 2010
Article comment by:
Deanna Obiedzenski
Maybe if the schools would concentrate more on the actual education of our Kingman children instead of what they are wearing to school. AND the fact that they can't even wear a jacet to school when it's cold outside, we would see better scores on these tests. Obviously the uniforms have not helped matters. Looks like things are only getting worse.
Posted: Thursday, July 29, 2010
Article comment by:
local yokel
Want to know the real reason the kids here have such lousy scores in math, reading and writing? Spend a week reading the comments to articles in this paper -- the highly intellectual Kingman Daily Miner. If you don't know the answer to the problem at that point, then you are part of the problem.
Posted: Thursday, July 29, 2010
Article comment by:
A CONCERNED GRANDMA
I am embarrassed at these results. I have grandkids who will be starting kindergarden within the next 2-years.. And with scores like that Im seriously considering other alternatives for their schooling.
Posted: Thursday, July 29, 2010
Article comment by:
Diego Ferio
KAOL would have higher scores because they politely get rid of students that don't make the grade!
Posted: Thursday, July 29, 2010
Article comment by:
Nice Chuckle
I went to school here, graduated, and yes, went to college. I seem to have had no trouble with any work or assignment given to me. It seems that many folks like to point fingers and place blame. It's not teachers, not the district, it's the parents and the kids themselves becoming lazy and not wanting to do the work. Kids, try doing your homework and studying instead of playing video games or surfing the net or destroying someone's property. Parents, try putting down that beer, joint, crack pipe, etc and take an interest in what your kids are doing and accomplishing. Let's all work together, remember, the children are OUR future.
Posted: Thursday, July 29, 2010
Article comment by:
Kari Marzek
Of course their test scores are going to be low with all the layoffs and cut-backs Maybe if the school district hired more qualified teachers there wouldn't be a issue!!!!!
Posted: Thursday, July 29, 2010
Article comment by:
Donald Shelton
I am wondering if the massive layoffs of teachers last year, plus the increase of class sizes as a result, could be a contributing factor to the lower test scores?
Posted: Thursday, July 29, 2010
Article comment by:
RedlovesAz ForLife
This does not surprise me one bit.Some of the schools in Kingman are jokes.My niece went to school here and then moved out of state was due to go into 7th grade and when enrolled into new school was told she was 2 grade levels behind on everything.I also have a child that started Jr. High last year at one school and due to the disrespect and plain rudeness of not only students ,but teachers as well we moved our whole household so that our child could attened the next Jr.High .Not only are some students rude,and show no manners,but also alot of the teachers that are in the schools.I blame overcrowding of classes,not enough funds,and yes i will say no parenting in most homes in Kingman.Take a day and spend it at your childs school and then see what it is you as a parent can do to help make changes to better enriched your childs future and thoose of other children.I have and it does help !!
Posted: Thursday, July 29, 2010
Article comment by:
Seymore Skinner
I'm being facetious of course but u have 2 1der if txt mesaging isn't partially 2 blame 4 the dramatic drop in righting scores. BTW I don't txt or use spell check. LOL :)
