Continuity, preparation lead to improved math scores

By Emily Richmond (contact)

Thursday, Feb. 5, 2009 | 2 a.m.

Chris Morris

Clark County School District officials credited a number of changes in math instruction for improved scores on its controversial semester exams — placing students in appropriate courses, better evaluation of their strengths and weaknesses and a more uniform approach to instruction.

In examining the middle and high school results released Wednesday, district officials will also look at a possible correlation between scores and teacher turnover.

Scores declined at Eldorado High School, where 13 of the 22 math teachers, including five long-term substitutes, are in their first year at the campus.

The algebra failure rate rose to 97 percent from 95 percent. The algebra II failure rate increased to 98.5 percent from 93 percent. Only scores in geometry improved, with the failure rate declining to 92 percent from 96 percent.

At the end of the 2007-08 academic year, Eldorado lost eight math teachers, all recruited from the Philippines as part of an international hiring program, because their visas expired. “That left a huge hole to fill,” Eldorado Assistant Principal Patrick Carey said.

Meanwhile, at Arbor View High School, held up by district officials Wednesday as a success, low turnover among the math faculty was an “enormous factor,” Assistant Principal Travis Warnick said. Of the school’s 15 math teachers, 13 were returning faculty and two filled new positions added in the fall.

Arbor View’s algebra pass rate jumped to 31 percent from 21 percent.

“We found out the key is having teachers talking to teachers about what worked,” Warnick said. “No one was being singled out and no one was being picked on. It was about team spirit.”

The district put a positive spin on the results of the new math test given at all middle and high schools.

The overall pass rates on the January semester test improved by significant margins, from 6.6 percent to 29 percent depending on the grade level and the math course. Of the district’s 53 middle schools, 41 showed better performance on both pre-algebra and algebra I. Additionally, 23 of the 45 high schools scored better in algebra I, algebra II and geometry.

“We took the ‘glass is half full’ approach,” Superintendent Walt Rulffes said of the staff presentation to the School Board.

However, the district’s glass could arguably still be half empty, with failure rates on the tests ranging from 64 percent for middle school pre-algebra students to 85 percent for high school algebra students. Also, the percentage of students earning D’s and F’s as final course grades crept up in all areas except middle school algebra.

“We have a lot to be thankful for. But we have a lot of work to be done,” School Board member Larry Mason said.

When the new common semester exam debuted last year, it was supposed to help gauge whether students would be ready for a more difficult high school proficiency exam to be put in place next year. The high failure rate turned it into a public boondoggle, with the district on the defensive.

An expert committee was formed to review the test and write new exams for this year. Teachers and schools got more support in preparing for the tests, including practice questions to familiarize students with the content and format.

Some of the biggest improvements this year can be attributed to the creation of separate tests for students enrolled in the two geometry courses offered in the district. Separate tests were also created for the two algebra II courses.

The district also reevaluated how students are assigned to classes and how they are taught.

Gains by middle school students were considered a reflection of these changes, including abandoning an effort to enroll as many students as possible in algebra by the eighth grade. The district now enrolls students in algebra when they are ready, with a goal of having them complete additional advanced math classes by graduation, said Jhone Ebert, assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction for the district.

Some students just weren’t ready for algebra and that’s one of the reasons they are struggling now, Rulffes said. The new approach means students are in the appropriate class at the right time, Rulffes said.

District officials took pains to emphasize that the math tests are just one form of assessment, and not the sole indicator of how well students are learning. More district students are passing the statewide high school proficiency exam, a requirement for graduation, and fewer are requiring remediation when they enroll at state colleges and universities, district officials said. Additionally, the achievement gap between minority and special education students and their mainstream peers is narrowing.

Although the adjustments have led to better scores, School Board members asked district staff for more information on the role of turnover in the results — specifically, whether campuses with a higher percentage of long-term substitutes and fewer teachers with specific training in math had lower scores.

Stability among the faculty is “one of the most important things in the success of students,” said Lee Koellicker, principal of Henderson’s Coronado High School, which improved its algebra pass rate to 49 percent from 14 percent. Of the school’s 18 math teachers, only one is new this year.