Triton school board members had a chance to discuss some preliminary information about ISTEP and IREAD test scores when they met on Monday.
Riffle said the initial reaction is always that there is room for improvement. For instance, this year the IREAD scores were apparently the lowest they’ve been over the last few years.
Though they were lower this year than they were in the past, the school still had a 96 percent passing rate, meaning that only four students didn’t pass.
When it comes to ISTEP scores for grades 3-8, Triton saw some improvement. The last two years, they’ve been ranked 3rd amongst other area schools but this year they came in at second.
For both, math and English/ Language Arts, there was a 60.7 percent passing rate. The only school that scored higher was Wa-nee Community Schools who had a 63 percent passing rate.
Comparatively, Bremen Public Schools had a 55.3 percent passing rate for both subjects, Argos saw a passing rate of 50.2 percent and Plymouth Community Schools came in at 48.5 percent.
Superintendent Riffle mentioned that while school officials obviously want to see all children succeed, they understand that test scores aren’t the sole decider when it comes to student progress.
Riffle explained, “We want every student to pass and we want every student to be prepared for that assessment but we also realize that an assessment doesn’t define a kid.”
Riffle said that teachers and administrators will continue to work with students to improve scores and as more data is provided, it will be incorporated into to the school improvement plans.
