June 26, 2002|By Laurie Willis and Laura Vozzella | Laurie Willis and Laura Vozzella,SUN STAFF
Baltimore principals heralded yesterday gains in national mathematics test scores among their pupils in first through eighth grades, but acknowledged that there is room for significant improvement.
The increases -- as much as 41 percentile points from a year ago for first-graders at Harriet Tubman Elementary School -- reflect a commitment to math and complement gains made in recent years on standardized reading tests, administrators and teachers said. As part of its reform program, the school system had emphasized literacy at the elementary school level.
Regina Edwards, a fourth-grade teacher at City Springs Elementary School in Southeast Baltimore, said that it was important that pupils first improve their reading skills.
"Reading is a component in everything," Edwards said. "If they're not able to read and comprehend, then they won't be successful on the math section."
Principals and teachers at area schools aren't surprised that scores on the TerraNova, formerly known as the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills, have improved.
"One of the things we've done is `coach class,' where once a week teachers spend about 45 extra minutes with students at the end of the day," said James Highsmith, assistant principal at Thurgood Marshall Middle School. "The students are encouraged to come, but it's voluntary."
Another program involved Saturday morning tutoring sessions, he said.
"A small group does mean the teachers will be able to give students additional attention," Highsmith said. "I guess the students know they're considered important enough for teachers to come in on a Saturday."
Systemwide, the city's sixth-graders improved their math scores by five percentile points from a year ago to the 29th percentile. That compares to an increase of four percentile points for seventh-graders (28th), three percentile points for first-graders (54th), and two percentile points for pupils in the second (43rd), third (43rd), fourth (35th) and fifth grades (36th).
Eighth-graders increased their score by 11 percentile points, to the 32nd percentile, over fall 2000. This was the first year eighth-graders took the TerraNova in the spring; other grades have always taken the standardized test then.
The 50th percentile is the national median.
The improvements are reason to celebrate, particularly at schools like Grove Park Elementary School, where pupils recorded scores 40 percentile points higher than last year, reaching the 64th percentile; but there's much more work to be done, many say.
Even though there have been significant gains in several grades over the years, most grades are still well below the national median.
"The increase in test scores is undeniably good news, however, it's not time to dance in the streets yet," said Christopher N. Maher, education director for Advocates for Children and Youth, a statewide organization based in Baltimore. "It's always smart to be cautious with large jumps in test scores from year to year, but this is a steady jump across the system, so it probably indicates legitimate progress."
At Commodore John Rogers Elementary School in East Baltimore, where math scores have improved in every grade from the base testing year of 1998, Assistant Principal Climmie Cornish attributes the gains to an in-school math clinic and an after-school "academy."
About 90 third- and fifth-graders who were having trouble in math spent an hour of the school week working with tutors, said Calpurnia Compton, the school's reading coach, who oversaw the effort. Also, nearly 75 third- and fifth-graders spent an hour after school, twice a week, brushing up on reading and math. The after-school academy was voluntary, but more than half of the school's 120 third- and fifth-grade pupils attended.
Paul Llufrio, principal of Benjamin Franklin Junior High School, which has seventh-, eighth- and ninth-graders and next year will add the sixth grade, said he wants to see even more improvement.
"I'm very happy with our eighth-grade scores, and I feel the seventh-grade scores will be better after summer school," Llufrio said. "We're not happy ultimately. We expect them to improve each year. This was just a starting point."
Llufrio said he believes students are reacting positively to the school system's tougher stance on meeting academic standards for promotion.
"Now [pupils] are finally realizing this is serious business and they're going to have to meet the mark to be promoted," he said. "It just took a while for everybody to agree to it and for the school board to push it."
At Benjamin Franklin, students had access to an after-school tutoring program, and, Llufrio said, the school received a grant for its Gifted and Talented Education, or GATE, program for the first time in many years.
Teachers must continue searching for innovative ways to get pupils interested in math -- and to keep the appeal from fading, officials say.
At City Springs, teachers have shared tips for making the material more interesting, including instructing math drills to the rhythm of a hip-hop song.
"If the teachers are more comfortable teaching math, it's going to rub off," Edwards said.
Sun staff writer Erika Niedowski contributed to this article.
To see the Baltimore City Schools' test results, go to http:www.sunspot.net/terranova. Test results are available by school or grade.
