FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FRIDAY, JUNE 22, 2001
In nearly every test, at every grade level, Madison students again outperformed their state and national peers in the highest levels (proficient and advanced proficient) of the 4th, 8th, and 10th grade Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examinations (WKCE).
Only in the 4th grade tests of language arts, science and social studies did state students marginally surpass Madison students. Madison 8th and 10 grade students were superior to their state and national peers on all five exams in the top two levels. In all grades and all tests, Madison students outperformed their national peers.
Nearly 5,300 Madison students in 4th, 8th and 10th grades took the WKCE in February and March of this year. Test subjects include: reading, language arts, science, math and social studies. The tests consist of short-answer and multiple-choice questions. Students are also required to write an essay in the 4th and 8th grades.
It is difficult to identify trends in the testing data, but compared to when the test was first administered in 1998, more Madison students are now in the two top levels in all tests, at all grades. Testing experts frequently admonish the public that the tests are a one-time snapshot that should be only one of a variety of assessments used to gauge a student's academic performance, or the performance of a specific school or school district.
Madison 10th grade students dramatically outperformed their national peers on the math and science tests - with 55 percent in the top performance ranges, compared with only 21 percent nationally. In science, the comparison was 58 percent to 33 percent nationally. The state comparison was less pronounced, but Madison students still performed better than their state peers (math 55% to 46%, science 58% to 55%).
The Madison statistics in this release are based on those students eligible for testing. Students with certain cognitive disabilities or many of the students in the English as a Second Language program are exempted under state guidelines.
| MMSD | Wisconsin | Nation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4th Grade | |||
| Reading | 79 | 78 | 63 |
| Language Arts | 63 | 67 | 60 |
| Mathematics | 68 | 65 | 54 |
| Science | 71 | 72 | 64 |
| Social Studies | 75 | 77 | 62 |
| 8th Grade | |||
| Reading | 76 | 73 | 54 |
| Language Arts | 69 | 64 | 53 |
| Mathematics | 47 | 39 | 24 |
| Science | 65 | 62 | 44 |
| Social Studies | 81 | 80 | 60 |
| 10th Grade | |||
| Reading | 71 | 69 | 46 |
| Language Arts | 63 | 58 | 43 |
| Mathematics | 55 | 46 | 21 |
| Science | 58 | 55 | 33 |
| Social Studies | 74 | 73 | 50 |
For more information contact:
Mary Ramberg, 266-6003
Public Information Office
545 W. Dayton St.
Madison, WI 53703
608-266-6270
email: newsrelease@madison.k12.wi.us
Last Modified: 2001-06-22
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