By Nicholas Brown
Staff Writer

Results of the state’s yearly assessment of 10th-graders were recently released, showing statewide improvements in both reading and math skills.

Goffstown High School sophomores showed decided improvements for the third straight year in both categories, and generally exceeded overall state averages.

The results at John Stark Regional High School, however, were mixed. Last year, John Stark – along with 130 other New Hampshire schools – was dubbed as not making “adequate yearly progress,” a goal set forth in the federal No Child Left Behind act, established in 2001.

In May, high school sophomores statewide took the New Hampshire Education Improvement and Assessment Program (NHEIAP) test, established in 1996.

The test covers reading and math skills and places students into one of four categories: “advanced,” “proficient,” “basic” and “novice.”

Since 2002, in order to meet adequate yearly progress as outlined by No Child Left Behind, 52 percent of 10th graders have had to score “novice” or above in math, and 70 percent or above in reading.

Next year the bar will be raised, as all schools will be required to reach 64 percent above “novice” in math, and 70 percent or above in reading. The goal, according to No Child Left Behind, is to have 100 percent of students at “basic” or above by 2014.

Schools failing to make “adequate yearly progress” for two consecutive years are labeled as “in need of improvement,” and must adopt a state-approved improvement plan. If schools fail to meet the mark in subsequent years, stiffer penalties accrue, including the potential overhaul of staff and curriculum.

A continuous challenge for schools statewide is that specific subgroups, including students with identified educational disabilities and economically disadvantaged students, must also meet the requirements of adequate yearly progress.

Some allowances, however, are made, as statewide averages for some subgroups have routinely failed to meet the mark.

In October, state officials plan to disclose which schools failed to make adequate yearly progress for 2004-05, based on a formula established by the federal Department of Education.

Weare

Last year was the first that John Stark 10th-graders failed to make adequate yearly progress.

This year, higher percentages of students students scored in the top two tiers in reading, though the number of students in the novice category jumped up 2 percent from the previous year to 24 percent, five points higher than the statewide average.

In math, there was no change in the percentage of novice students over the past two years, and the number of students placing advanced and proficient increased considerably.

Still the 30 percent novice mark is four points higher than the statewide average, and is a cause of concern for the school’s principal, Arthur Aaronson.

“Basically, the results this year are comparable to the state average,” said Aaronson. “But I am certainly concerned about the percentages in novice.”

Aaronson said he’d also hoped for higher scores from the students with educational disabilities subgroup. That group fell short of statewide averages by 3 percent in reading, and 6 percent in math.

Aaronson is hopeful, however, that scores will show marked improvement by next year, as the school is entering its first year with full implementation of the “Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound” program, designed to improve high school reading and literacy skills.

“This is a program that will benefit every student,” he said.

Aaronson said math scores may likely improve, as the school now offers five levels of math courses for incoming freshmen.

On the possibility of sanctions for not making adequate yearly progress, Aaronson said, “We’ll cross that bridge if and when we get there.”

Goffstown, New Boston

Goffstown High School 10th-graders made improvements for the third year straight, and now rank just above state averages.

In 2002-03, 31 percent of Goffstown High School sophomores placed at novice in reading. That number has been reduced to 15 percent for 2004-05, while the number of advanced reading students has increased by 6 percent in that time.

GHS has reduced the number of novices in the math category for three years straight as well, while simultaneously increasing the percentage of advanced and proficient students.

“The word of the year last year was rigor,” said GHS Curriculum Coordinator Kevin Farley. “I think we’re seeing that pay off.”

Farley added, “To see the numbers get consistently better, it’s telling us that we’re not having fluke years.”

Statewide

With increasing pressure to perform under No Child Left Behind, 10th-graders across the state have shown solid improvement over the past two years.

This year, 72 percent of the state’s sophomores scored basic or above in math, a seven-point improvement over last year.

Over the past two years, a 10 percent increase in the number of students in the top three tiers has been seen in the reading category, though this year marked only a 1 percent jump.

“The improvements seen are a credit to teachers, administrators, faculty, students, parents and members of the community who are working together to improve schools at the local level,” said New Hampshire Commissioner of Education Lyonel Tracy.

The NHEIAP test, since its inception, had been administered to the state’s third- and sixth-graders up until last year.

The state is switching it’s assessment testing this year, now incorporating the New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP). The departments of education in Vermont and Rhode Island are also starting the new program this school year.