An Achievement and Participation Study presented by Holbrook School District Superintendent Dr. Robbie Koerperich earlier this month shows a breakdown of ethnicity groups within the school district and how those groups scored collectively on the Arizona Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS) test. The study is a requirement for Impact Aid, but Koerperich explained that it also helps the district determine whether there are any areas in education that need to be addressed.
“This study gives us an opportunity to see if a specific group is falling below variance from year to year,” stated Koerperich. As an example, he noted that the Native American students scores fell below previous years in reading. He believes this is due to a change in the reading assessment that focuses on grammar, rather than just reading. “When you have language and socioeconomic barriers that come with a specific group of students, we know that this is an area that needs to be given additional attention,” he explained.
Koerperich noted that he believes that school life has the greatest impact on children, and by understanding and knowing each of the students, their needs can be better addressed. “It used to be that AIMS results were just broken down to grade levels. By seeing the scores broken down to the various groups, it helps us to know that much more about the students needs,” he stated.
The study showed that there are approximately 2,000 students served in the school district each year within an area of approximately 1,500 square miles.
Of those students, approximately 1,099 in the third through 10th grades take part in AIMS testing. Of that population, 63 percent are Native American, 23 percent are white, 12 percent are Hispanic, two percent are black and less than one percent are Asian.
Of the 1,067 students who took the AIMS reading test, 686 met the standard and 63 exceeded the standard for a total of 749, or 70 percent of the students, who passed the assessment. In that assessment, 100 percent of the Asian students, 86 percent of all white students, 80 percent of all Hispanic students, 62 percent of all Native American students and 55 percent of all black students scored proficient. The total average of 70 percent passing is in line with averages throughout the county, with the state averages showing about eight percent higher.
When it came to math, 395 of the 1,099 students who took the test met the standard and 160 exceeded it for a total of 555 students, or 51 percent, passing the math assessment. In that assessment, 100 percent of all Asians, 68 percent of all white students, 48 percent of all black students, 46 percent of all Hispanic students and 44 percent of Native American students scored proficient. The total average of 51 percent passing is in line with averages throughout the county, with the state averages showing a 10 percent higher average passing rate.
The assessment for science is only given to fourth, eighth and ninth graders, and showed that 122 of the 451 students who took the test met the standard and 70 students exceeded it for a total of 192 students, or 43 percent, passing the science assessment. In that assessment, 67 percent of all white students, 48 percent of all Hispanic students, 34 percent of all Native American students and 33 percent of all black students scored proficient. The district’s percentage combines all three grades, while the state and county show separate averages for the ninth grade. The county averages show that in the fourth and eighth grades there was a passing rate of 49 percent, while ninth graders showed a 32 percent passing rate. The state averages show that for fourth and eighth graders, the average passing rate is 62 percent, with a 42 percent passing rate for ninth graders.
The assessment for writing is given only to students in fifth, sixth and seventh grades, and the results showed that 289 of the 627 students taking the assessment met the standard and 17 students exceeded it for a total of 306, or 48 percent, of the students passing the assessment. In that assessment, 74 percent of all white students, 55 percent of all Hispanic students, 39 percent of all Native American students and 36 percent of black students scored proficient. The average is slightly above the county average of 45 percent, but six percent below the state average of 54 percent.
When it comes to program participation of students within the high school, the black and Hispanic students are the most active in athletics at 93 to 94 percent, compared to 57 to 59 percent of the white and Native American student populations. In Career and Technical Education enrollment, 84 percent of the Native American students are enrolled, followed by 65 percent of the Hispanic students, 57 percent of the black students and 51 percent of the white students. Other programs such as music, accelerated programs and clubs show less than 50 percent involvement by all ethnicities.
On the junior high level, 63 percent of the Hispanic students are involved in intervention programs and 52 percent in sports; 62 percent of the white students are involved in both athletics and accelerated programs; 75 percent of the black students are involved in athletics and 56 percent in choir; and 45 percent of the Native American students are involved in the intervention program and 41 percent in sports. In all other programs, each group shows less than 50 percent involvement.
According to Koerperich, this information allows teachers and administrators to see if certain ethnic groups are less successful than others in a given area, allowing teachers to focus on the needs of those students. “If a group is struggling with the math, how do we teach math to that group? That’s what we need to figure out,” said the superintendent.
When it comes down to graduation rate, the district exceeds the state average in nearly every category, with a 100 percent graduation rate for black students, compared to the state’s 73 percent; 89 percent for Hispanic students, compared to the state’s 71 percent; 86 percent for white students, compared to the state’s 83 percent; and 73 percent of the Native American students, compared to the state’s 54 percent. Overall, the district has a graduation rate of 78 percent, compared to the state’s 76 percent. Female students show a higher graduation rate of 86 percent, compared to the state’s average of 79 percent, while boys are falling slightly behind the average with a 71 percent graduation rate, compared to the state average of 72 percent.
Koerperich noted that with the help of this information, the district will focus on areas of need and continue to promote the individual student. He does not believe that circumstances in a child’s life should define who they become as adults. “Not all students are going to be doctors, lawyers, engineers… Our job is to make sure these kids become who they are capable of becoming, regardless of any language or socioeconomic barriers that may exist right now,” he concluded.
