FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JULY 17, 2000
District Students Surpass State Peers in Advanced Category
For the second straight year, more Madison third graders scored in the two highest performance categories of the Wisconsin Reading Comprehension Test (WRCT) compared to the previous year. Over 69 percent of all third graders scored in the "proficient" and "advanced" categories, which are the target performance levels set by the state.
In 1999, 63 percent of Madison third grade students scored at least "proficient", while in 1998, 58 percent reached the target scores.
Madison also had a greater share of its students performing to the highest category ("advanced") compared to the state share – 27.8 for Madison compared to 27.2 for all Wisconsin third-graders.
Minimal Basic Proficient Advncd Prof+Adv Madison 2000 4.2% 13.2% 41.3% 27.8% 69.1% Madison 1999 6.0% 15.9% 41.4% 22.5% 63.9% State 2000 4.0% 14.3% 47.3% 27.2% 74.5%
Across most ethnic groups, performance continues to increase on the WRCT. Since 1998, the percentage of Asian students scoring in the "proficient" or "advanced" performance categories has increased 20 points (from 38% to 58%,) African-American students have increased 12 points (from 31% to 43%,) and white students have increased 11 points (from 72% to 83%.) The percentage of Hispanic students scoring in the two target levels has fluctuated significantly in the three years, reflecting the changes in the demographics of that student group within the larger Madison community.
Despite the scoring improvement among most ethnic groups within the district, the gaps between white student performance and ethnic minority student performance remained relatively unchanged.
All percentages cited are based on the number of third grade students enrolled, not on students tested. In Madison 13 percent of third grade students were excluded from testing this year, mostly due to English proficiency limitations (6.6%) and disabling conditions (6.0%.) This compares to seven percent excluded statewide.
The WRCT requires students to read three passages and answer 65 reading comprehension questions. It was administered to students statewide in March.
Public Information Office
545 W. Dayton St.
Madison, WI 53703
608-266-6270
email: newsrelease@madison.k12.wi.us
Last Modified: 2000-07-25
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