Both Lisbon elementary principal Justin Brown and secondary principal Aaron Becker were happy with the recent Iowa Student Assessment and Student Proficiency data tested in spring of 2022.
Brown reported that the elementary data highlighted not only the work teachers did in third through sixth grade (who were tested), but also the work at younger grades to get students ready and proficient in different areas.
The elementary school saw a nearly 12 percent increase in proficiency in English and language arts scores over 2021’s score, and a 12 percent increase in proficiency in math compared to 2019’s scores.
“Science, we didn’t see as much of a jump, but we still saw an increase in these scores,” Brown said.
Brown noted that one of the areas students will need to address in the future is their rate of reading.
Board member Allan Mallie asked which would be better – having more proficiency in reading or a better speed in reading.
“I think both scores are important, and they’re both something we can work with students to improve every day,” Brown said.
At the secondary level, Becker said tests show teachers commitment to educating students and getting kids to take an interest in their studies.
“They’re also retaining information presented to them nearly every single day,” Becker said.
Becker presented tables that highlighted how the students in different grades did compared to their test results in 2021, and many of the classes showed improvements in scores in reading and math.
“These scores are a one-time test, and so we as administrators take them with a grain of salt, but I’m very pleased with what they are showing for the district,” Becker said.
Superintendent Pat Hocking said there were a lot of strong marks in both elementary and secondary levels testing, noting several classes at the high school have proficiencies in the 93 and 94 percent in subjects.