Report card: Average

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WORTHINGTON — The percentage of students proficient in math and reading in area schools falls near the state average, according to school report cards recently released by the Minnesota Department of Education.

The report cards show a percentage of students who met state standards in reading and math in 2007, and are therefore considered proficient. The cards also show the percentage of proficient and not proficient students who made low, medium or high growth during the 2007-2008 school year.

“For the most part we use those (report cards) when we look at how we plan to do remediation, as well as when we plan our curriculum to enhance, or build on deficiencies. It affects the curriculum materials that we would purchase,” said John Landgaard, superintendent of Worthington School District 518.

In math, scores ranged from 24 percent of students proficient at Worthington Area Language Academy (WALA) to 80 percent in the Pipestone Area School District, with the state average being 66 percent.

Pipestone students also performed well in reading, with 81 percent of students proficient. The WALA District marked the low end of the range, where 47 percent of students were proficient in reading, compared with 71 percent at the state level.

The Westbrook-Walnut Grove School District scored second-lowest, with 50 percent of students proficient in reading. Superintendent Loy Woelber attributed the scores in part to the high number of English Language Learning (ELL) students and students in free or reduced lunch programs.

“That becomes an issue if they’re worried about issues at home, worried about other things instead of homework,” he said.

Woelber added that difficulty in reading can also cause problems in math.

“A lot of students do well with straight-out math problems, but story problems fall into reading,” he said. “We have our ups and downs and we keep plugging away.” The district is considering consolidating schools to help students learn at the same pace.

In the Worthington School District (District 518), 55 percent of students were proficient in math and 60 percent in reading.

“Overall we’re doing pretty well. When compared to the state we’re not necessarily high, but when you look at districts with the same demographics we’re doing the same or better,” said Tricia Denzer, director of special programs in District 518. Like W-WG, WALA and several other area school districts, District 518 serves a high number of ELL students.

“It’s hard to pass a test in English if you don’t speak English well,” explained Landgaard.

District 518 also has a high number of students on free or reduced lunch programs, and has a percentage of special education students that exceeds the state average.

In addition to serving students in those three programs, Denzer said the district is looking to assist struggling students that may not qualify for any sort of special education.

“We’re going to start targeting individual students and looking at ways we can help individual kids as well,” she said.

Landgaard said the district operates on a “continuous improvement model,” putting more than 70 percent of its revenue into classroom instruction.

“We’re never satisfied (with our scores) and that’s why our teachers work so hard to continue to improve,” he said.

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