MPR: A Measure of Success

A Measure of Success
by Tim Pugmire
January 5, 2000

For More Information
To see a school-by-school list of test scores, see the Saint Paul Public Schools Web site.

Saint Paul public school officials say recent test scores indicate their schools and students are moving in the right direction. District leaders released results from last fall's Metropolitan Achievement Tests, which show gains at nearly every grade level and in most schools.

SAINT PAUL SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT Pat Harvey began the school year last fall by turning up the heat on the district's failing schools. Eleven schools where test scores and graduations rates had fallen too low were placed on academic probation. And her accountability measures raised classroom expectations throughout the district. Harvey says the results of last fall's round of the Metropolitan Achievement Test, seventh edition, also known as the MAT-7, shows the improvement initiatives are on the right track.

Harvey: What you have in Saint Paul is a lot of serious educators who had been working hard for their entire career to do the best possible for kids. And so, what we're seeing now is the results of all of that time and all of that effort. But added to it is the fact that we're expecting more and our kids have heard us say that.

District-wide, the MAT-7 reading and math scores improved in second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh grades. The second grade reading scores are the highest in six years. District officials say they made gains across all ethnic groups. And the scores among poor students and English language learners rose above national norms.

Harvey released the test score results at Roosevelt Elementary School. Two-thirds of the students at this kindergarten through third-grade building on Saint Paul's west side are learning English as a second language. And 90 percent of the children are from low-income families. But despite those obstacles, Roosevelt test scores have risen steadily each of the past four years.

In a small classroom, second and third grade students take turns reading stories to their partners. Teacher Cynthia Unowsky says these English as a Second Language (ESL) students are part of the "Success for All" program, a national model for teaching reading on an individualized basis.

Unowsky: So everyone in the school is grouped by ability and by where they're at. And they're tested every eight weeks, and some move on to other groups and some stay with the same teacher as the year goes on.

Administrators at the school say they constantly evaluate their test scores and teaching methods to make sure all children are getting the attention they need to learn. Superintendent Harvey says Roosevelt's performance is an example of the kind of continuous improvement she expects from every Saint Paul school. She says these latest test scores are impressive, but the true measure of success comes later.

Harvey: This is just the beginning for us. There's lots of information for us to absorb and to use it as a stepping stone to even greater successes for our kids, and we are going to do that. In fact, we are doing it today; our principals have been involved in massive training about how to use this information to the best interest of kids.

Harvey used the scores from the fall 1998 MAT-7 tests to determine which Saint Paul schools faced academic probation. She says it will take another round of testing this spring to determine whether changes are made to that list. And under the Harvey proposal for ending social promotion, district officials will use those spring test scores as the baseline data for determining if students can advance to the next grade.

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