Anne Arundel County sixth-graders posted a significant gain on reading tests in the spring after the first year of an intensive language arts program, while county pupils continued to score above the national median in all subjects tested.
Scores went up in all subjects except science on the Terra- Nova, formerly called the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills.
For the most part, the gains were slight - a point or two - but officials said the county's efforts to improve instruction are paying off.
"Anytime you show improvement you're pleased, because it's an indication that students are performing better and teachers are being more successful," said Interim Superintendent Kenneth P. Lawson. Children in grades 2 through 8 took the tests in May.
The biggest increase came in sixth-grade reading, where scores rose almost 7 percentile points to the 59th percentile. If a pupil ranks in the 50th percentile, he or she has scored better than 50 percent of all pupils who took the test. As a result, 50 is considered the national median.
Last fall, the county began a program that gave sixth-graders two periods of language arts every day - double what they used to receive.
"It certainly is a very positive sign in terms of confirming the kind of impact we expected," said school board member Vaughn L. Brown. "We knew it was the right thing to do. It was a no-brainer."
Added school board President Carlesa Finney: "The fact that there's a gain in every one of the schools in sixth-grade reading lets me know it was the right decision. Across the board, students have benefited."
The double language arts program will be expanded to the seventh grade this fall.
Also, eighth-graders who are reading below grade level will get two language arts periods this fall in schools with a seven-period day. They will get extra reading time in schools with four-period days, Lawson said.
"We were concerned that with the high school assessment test just over the horizon, we wanted to give kids the best opportunity to get ready and get their reading skills improved before high school," he said.
Reading scores also rose in second, fourth and fifth grades. Fifth-graders led the way, scoring at the 64th percentile nationwide.
By comparison, second-graders scored at the 63rd percentile, up 2 percentile points from last year. Fourth-graders scored at the 58th percentile, also up 2 percentile points from last year.
Seventh- and eighth-graders took the test for the first time this year. Seventh-graders scored at the 61st percentile in reading, eighth-graders at the 60th percentile.
Officials credit the gains to increased teacher training and a stronger emphasis on phonics in early grades.
Some of the highest scores were posted at Benfield Elementary and Folger McKinsey Elementary, both in Severna Park. Second-graders in those schools scored above the 90th percentile, with other grades close behind.
The top-scoring middle schools were Crofton, Magothy River and Severna Park. Pupils in all grades at those schools scored at or above the 75th percentile.
Anne Arundel County tested its students in math, reading, science and social studies.
Scores for individual schools will be published in The Sun next week.
