El Paso test scores rising/ Third-graders improve on reading test,

0 Comments | Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), May 7, 2003 | by DANIELLE NIEVES

If a child can't read by third grade, chances are he or she will have trouble later in math, science and writing.

If that child comes from a disadvantaged, low-income home in El Paso County, learning these skills could be even tougher.

Overall, schools in the Pikes Peak region have made gains compared with last year on the third-grade Colorado Student Assessment Program reading tests. But the majority of schools serving low-income neighborhoods still lag behind those in wealthier areas.

On average, about 76 percent of third-graders in El Paso County are reading at a proficient or advanced level, compared with 70 percent last year.

In the seventh year of the third-grade reading test, 74 percent of the 53,525 students across the state scored proficient or advanced.

The upward trend comes a year after scores flat-lined, and school officials say new tutoring programs, summer school and literacy programs are beginning to pay off.

"Reading remains the most fundamental of all skills," state board chairman Randy DeHoff said in a statement. "These scores show that targeted effort can make a difference."

The highest scoring districts in the county were Academy School District 20, Lewis-Palmer School District 39 and Cheyenne Mountain School District 12.

All three districts have a small percentage of low-income students.

The lowest scores came from neighborhoods where more than half the school's students were from poor families.

Important difference

A look at the city's highest and lowest-performing schools show similarities in factors such as teacher experience, teacher pay, class size and after-school activities. The biggest difference between these schools seems to be parent's income.

For instance, the average teacher salary at Monument Charter Academy - which had 100 percent of third-graders scoring proficient and advanced - is $8,000 less than the city's lowest-performing school - Wilson Elementary School in Colorado Springs District 11.

The average teacher experience at the Academy is nine years, compared with 11 years at Wilson Elementary School.

Class size is similar - Wilson's third-grade classes have about 11 students, while Monument Charter Academy has about 13 students in each class.

According to information provided on the state's annual accountability reports:

Both schools have after-school programs, conduct home visits and require parent conferences.

Wilson gets about $8 million for textbooks and materials, while Monument has about $2 million to spend.

But no children at the charter school receive federal funding for free and reduced lunches. To qualify for the program, families must meet low-income guidelines.

Wilson, on the other hand, has 66 percent of its students on the program. About one in three students at Wilson are not fluent in English.

The missing piece among some schools serving poor families is consistent exposure to reading, school officials say.

Alisabeth Ackerman, assessment director for Academy School District 20, is studying district students who had reading problems, but are now at grade level, to find out what helped them succeed.

"Family was often cited as being a very important part of why those students improved," she said.

At the Monument Academy, where all students were proficient this year, parents take a workshop at the start of each year on phonics to help their children learn to read at home, Principal Chuck Holt said.

"Study after study says read to the kids. Our parents do that," he said.

High poverty schools in District 11 are trying to involve parents through literacy nights at the schools. Adams Elementary, for example, schedules evening GED classes for parents and tutoring classes for children at the same time. Impact on students

The literacy of Colorado's third-graders has improved gradually since 1998, when 66 percent of third-graders were proficient or advanced statewide.

"Reading is that 'gateway skill.' If you cannot read strongly, you are handicapped for all the days of your life," said Diana Sirko, D- 11's deputy superintendent of instruction.

By fourth grade, students are expected to have mastered reading; if they can't, they may continue to fall behind in other areas, D- 20's Ackerman said.

The CSAP's third-grade reading scores are important because teachers use them with other classroom tests to determine if students need to attend summer school classes.

Students who need additional help receive an individual literacy plan, which is required by the 1996 Colorado Basic Literacy Act.

The Literacy Act requires CSAP scores to be among the testing tools used for third-graders. The CSAP is only one way to measure a child's reading level.

The test focuses narrowly on a student's reading comprehension, Ackerman said. Students read several passages and give a written response to a series of questions. Other tests in D-20 require students to read aloud and respond orally to questions.

The CSAP test doesn't measure other things teachers look for, such as student effort, or show variables that affect their score - absences or illness.