Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Clark County students show improvement on math, reading tests

Updated Tuesday, July 3, 2012 | 6:02 p.m.

Clark County students showed improvement on standardized state exams this year, according to test results released by the School District on Tuesday.

The Criterion Referenced Test is a mandatory state test administered to students in grades three through eight each year. In 2010, the exam became more rigorous as part of a nationwide push to increase curriculum standards.

In response, district officials said, they have worked to implement a more rigorous curriculum at the elementary and middle school levels to meet those new standards. The efforts have translated to test score gains between 3 and 6 percentage points, officials said.

“We’re proud of our hardworking teachers who spend time preparing our students for the CRT,” Clark County Schools Superintendent Dwight Jones said. “We’re also very proud of our students who are continuing to progress each year. The reforms we’ve put in place at the elementary and middle school levels are paying off, but we know our students are capable of more.”

Here are this year’s test results:

Elementary school:

• In math, 71 percent of third graders, 73 percent of fourth graders and 71 percent of fifth graders were proficient. In 2011, 69 percent of students in all three grade levels were proficient.

• In reading, 60 percent of third graders, 70 percent of fourth graders and 65 percent of fifth graders were proficient. In 2011, the proficiency rates were 57, 64 and 61 percent, respectively.

Middle school:

• In math, 73 percent of sixth graders , 71 percent of seventh graders and 61 percent of eighth graders were proficient. In 2011, proficiency rates were 68, 69 and 58 percent, respectively.

• In reading, 58 percent of sixth graders, 56 percent of seventh graders and 48 percent of eighth graders were proficient. In 2011, proficiency rates were 55, 53 and 44 percent, respectively.

“We still have work to do, but the gains made by our students against a more rigorous CRT exam tell us we’re on the right track with our reform efforts,” Deputy Superintendent Pedro Martinez said.

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