Indian River School District students once again ranked among Delaware’s best when scores from the 2008 Delaware Student Testing Program were released on Thursday, July 17.
District students in the third, fifth, eighth and 10th grades exceeded the state average in every content area except 10th-grade writing.
Third- and fifth-grade students ranked first in the state in math and second in reading. Fifth-graders also ranked second in the state in writing. Eighth-grade students had a strong showing, ranking fourth in the state in reading, math and writing.
Calculating the percentage of students who met or exceeded state performance standards, district third-graders exceeded the state average by 6 percentage points in reading, 10 points in math and 4 points in writing.
Fifth-graders exceeded the state average by 9 percentage points in reading, 12 points in math and 7 points in writing.
In reading, 95 percent of IRSD fifth-graders and 90 percent eighth-graders met the standards. Scores were especially strong at the eighth-grade level, where students surpassed the state average by 9 percentage points in reading, 14 points in math and 7 points in writing.
“These scores are a testament to the effectiveness of the curricula and teaching strategies being utilized throughout our district,” IRSD Superintendent Susan Bunting said. “Our teachers have invested a tremendous amount of energy in analyzing data and addressing the instructional needs of every student. This level of commitment and dedication is the reason our students annually rank among the state’s best.”
At the third-grade level, 88 percent of students met or exceeded the performance standards in reading. Four elementary schools had at least 92 percent of students meeting the standards. In fact, East Millsboro Elementary ranked first in the state, with 93 percent of students meeting the standards.
Reading scores were also strong at Lord Baltimore Elementary (93 percent), North Georgetown Elementary (92 percent) and Southern Delaware School of the Arts (95 percent).
In math, 87 percent of district students met or exceeded the standards. Four schools had success rates of at least 91 percent. They were Southern Delaware School of the Arts (95 percent), Lord Baltimore Elementary (92 percent), Long Neck Elementary (91 percent) and East Millsboro Elementary (91 percent). East Millsboro and Southern Delaware School of the Arts ranked fifth and seventh in the state, respectively.
Scores were also strong at the fifth-grade level, where six elementary schools had at least 96 percent of students meeting the standards in reading. Southern Delaware School of the Arts led the way with 100 percent of students meeting the standards.
Long Neck and Lord Baltimore elementary schools were next at 99 percent, while Frankford and Phillip C. Showell elementary schools each had 98-percent success rates. East Millsboro had 96 percent of students meeting the standards.
In math, five schools topped the 90-percent mark. They were Southern Delaware School of the Arts (98 percent), Lord Baltimore (95 percent), East Millsboro (94 percent), Long Neck (93 percent) and Phillip C. Showell (91 percent).
At the eighth-grade level, two district schools topped the 90-percent mark in reading. They were Southern Delaware School of the Arts (100 percent) and Selbyville Middle School (94 percent). Both ranked in the state’s top 10.
SDSA was also strong in math, ranking third in the state with a 98-percent success rate. Selbyville Middle showed solid improvement in math, increasing its success rate by 6 percentage points to 82 percent.
At the 10th-grade level, Sussex Central High School recorded solid gains in every content area. The school’s success rate was especially strong in writing, where 74 percent met the standards compared to just 55 percent in 2007.
Indian River High School also excelled in writing, with 91 percent of students meeting the standards, an increase of 23 points from 2007. Overall, district 10th-graders improved their success rate by 23 percentage points in writing.
“While the performance of our students was strong on a statewide level, there are still areas of concern,” Bunting said. “The percentage of students meeting performance standards dipped slightly in many content areas, and 10th-grade reading and math scores continue to lag behind the other grades. However, we are confident that hard work on the part of staff and students will allow these scores to return to their previous levels.”