According to the Oklahoma Department of Education, “Report card measures … serve as indicators of how public schools are serving students in a variety of areas. Measured at different points, indicators work together to provide a snapshot of school performance.”
Eufaula schools’ report cards, issued by the Department of Education Nov. 15, fared well in the 2022-2023. The report is from testing in the spring of 2022.
Most school grades in the district surpass overall state grades.
“We’ve shown growth throughout the district, and improvement is always going to be our goal,” said School Superintendent Monty Guthrie. “But at the same time, our priority is always going to be on creating great citizen, on meeting the needs of the whole child as opposed to only focusing on grades, but if that leads us to greater tests, we’re going to be thrilled – but that is going to be secondary.”
For the most part, tests in the 2021-22, and 2022-23 school years have shown a lot of growth.
“The middle school was a B school this year, barely missed an A. Our high school was right on the verge of moving up to a B; so those things are positives for us,” Guthrie said. “We are going to continue to get better in those areas. I feel certain of that. We are definitely making an all out district- wide effort to improve our math scores.
“We’ve committed a lot of time and effort into professional development into trying to see if we can’t bump those scores up, do better in that area.”
The next tests will b e in the middle of April, first week in May.
The state’s grading system is far from perfect.
For example, the state only tests students once during their high school years.
Elementary and middle school students are tested annually to determine their progress. In high school they are tested once, in their first year.
“We are doing everything we can to monitor progress in high school, but it’s difficult to monitor progress … when you are only testing one time,” Guthrie said.
He said steps have been taken to correct that issue.
The district has signed up with NWEA – the Northwest Evaluation Association, a non-profit organization that has assessed over 4.5 million students.
“We take a benchmark assessment in January, and then we will do it again at the end of the school year. We’ll be able to compare the progress it will show on state tests and the progress we show on our own benchmark. We want to make sure they score alike.”
NWEA testing is the first time the school has had the testing option in the 9th, 10th and 11th grades.
A new twist also is being added to the school’s ACT and SAT testing, the tests most colleges and universities use to make admissions decisions.
The state used ACT tests, which are timed, multi-choice exams normally given in the junior year.
Taking a timed test might seem daunting to some students, who might not do well because of the anxiety over the timing.
To help the junior prepare for the ACT, Guthrie said the school is going to pay for ACT tests for sophomores.
“That’s going to give us some data to look at to see if we need to adjust our 11th grade English Language Arts and math. And number two, it will give them the opportunity to work through the ACT with time restraints.”
Paying for the ACT for sophomores may not always be possible.
“There may be some financial restraints. We may not always be able to do that, but I think it’s a worthwhile investment for the kids,” he said.
Not all students are going to go on to college after graduation.
“Between trades and military and college, it’s right around 50 percent,” Guthrie said.
What the school is trying to do is to determine students for college and career readiness.
