District struggles to compile data on school tests

Terry Webster

Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2001 | 9:16 a.m.

The last high school proficiency test for the Class of 2001 was given in July, but the Clark County School District still doesn't have an accurate count of how many of its 11,000 students passed or other statistical information it usually gathers from the test's results.

School district officials had hoped to have a summary report -- which details test results by gender, race, school and other factors -- ready by Sept. 30. But it is finding the process of compiling the information tediously slow.

The district receives raw scores and has to compile by hand the breakdowns it must report to the state by spring.

That could change soon.

Nevada Department of Education officials say a new contract under negotiation for the state's testing program will provide relief. It will require the testing company to compile the data that school districts collect by hand.

The state's current contract for the testing program expires in December.

CTB/McGraw Hill, the company that runs the test, sends students their scores and sends school districts a roster of how students did, with no other information.

District staffers must go through, student by student, and assemble reports, gathering information such as gender, ethnicity and whether students are enrolled in traditional or special education programs, from other databases, said Tom Klein, an evaluation consultant for the state.

"We have to analyze the raw scores of students by each area and then compile a report based on that," said Mary Stanley-Larsen, a public information specialist for the district.

The new contract will require the company to collect that information, and will allow the state and school districts to get the same detailed reports.

Washoe County's school district just recently completed its summary report on the proficiency exam, said Dotty Merrill, senior director of public policy, accountability and assessment.

"It took us a long time, and Clark County is four times as large as us," she said.

Merrill said Washoe's report also analyzes student grade point averages by subject and grade. That, she said, helps provide additional insight into student scores.

The proficiency exam, a graduation requirement, has three portions: Math, reading and writing. A science exam was given this year, but that part does not start counting toward graduation requirements until 2005.