Nebraska’s schools administered a new reading test last school year, to meet the Federal requirements of school testing and accountability. The new statewide reading test will be used to determine whether school districts and individual school buildings meet adequate yearly progress, or AYP, under the federal No Child Left Behind law. Performance on this test is used to measure against state reading standards and provide scores to compare schools. Students in grades three through eight and grade 11 in all public schools are included in the spring test.

The state’s overall average for all grade levels meeting or exceeding the standards is a 68.6%. Comparably, Newman Grove Public Schools overall average for all grade levels meeting or exceeding the standards is 60%. Although this is clearly not the level at which NGPS would like to fit in accordance with the state percentage, we (I) agree with Roger Breed, Nebraska Commissioner of Education, who states, “The first-ever statewide grade-level reading test results should be a starting point for schools, parents and state officials to discuss how to raise reading scores.”

As a staff, we have spent a significant amount of time analyzing group and individual results and have already begun an action plan for working on our weak areas. We have been in contact with the state department of education for assistance in helping us develop teaching strategies that help students learn and perform better to meet standards.

On an additional note, some items to consider when picking apart these first time scores, teachers across the state have only had the new standards in place for about a year before testing occurred. It takes time to adjust teaching methods to new curriculum standards as well as to prepare students for an entirely new method of testing. NGPS administered the reading tests online as opposed to a traditional paper pencil method. NGPS teachers and support staff members have worked diligently for two years incorporating an entirely new and different reading series in the elementary level. As stated by an elementary teacher, “I am just now seeing the whole benefits of our new series this third year into practice because students have the proper background to support the lessons. We are so much farther ahead than we have been in prior years.”

Other very notable efforts that have been put into place at NGPS are our intensive efforts to progress monitor students individually in the areas of reading comprehension, fluency and accuracy. We test students in grades three through nine biannually in GORT (Grey Oral Reading Test) which is designed to measure a student’s grade level of reading based on accuracy and comprehension.

We also test students in grades K-6 in DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) which measures student fluency, phonemic awareness, letter naming, and nonsense words every three times a year and once a week for those that need closer progress monitoring.

Based on the findings of those tests, along with analysis of our Terra Nova, Explore, and ACT scores, we make meaningful decisions for student reading interventions as necessary. Most interventions occur in the K-6th grade. For the first time this year, NGPS is trying to organize and establish interventions in the Junior and Senior High level. However, the older student, the more difficult it becomes to schedule and arrange for student assistance with our current staff, especially when the assistance is needed at a one on one basis.

Parents/guardians will be receiving individual results of their children in the mail very soon. We hope that reviewing this information will spark an interest among parents to be conscientious of their child’s performance and stimulate questions they want to discuss with their student’s teachers. NGPS encourages parents to inquire about their child’s reading tests, seek understanding of the measurements and scores as well as ask to inquire about the local and national reading results of their child.