For Immediate Release
Monday, June 30, 2003
Madison students at each grade level and in all but one test (4th grade social studies) surpassed their state peers in the highest performance category - "advanced proficiency" - on the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examination (WKCE) test given last fall. Over the history of the WKCE, Madison students have consistently scored higher in this category than their statewide peers.
Wisconsin students in 4th, 8th and 10th grades were given the test in reading, language arts, math, science and social studies. The test consists of short-answer and multiple-choice questions. Students also write an essay. According to test creators, advanced proficiency means a student demonstrates, "in-depth understanding of academic knowledge and skills" in the subject. Minimal, basic and proficient are the remaining proficiency standards.
Madison eighth graders surpassed their state peers in the advanced proficiency category by ten percentage points, in both the language arts portion of the test (30% to 20%) and mathematics (36% to 26%). Madison tenth grade students topped their state peers in the advanced category by nine percentage points (33% to 24%) in the math test.
This year's test is a watershed moment in the test's history. No prior year comparisons are possible because the state has changed the tests to better comply with provisions in the federal "No Child Left Behind" law. Scores to determine the four different proficiency ranges were also altered. In addition, no comparisons are possible with national peers because, under federal law, all state tests must mirror a state's academic standards - so test results can't be compared because the tests are all appreciably different.
New federal requirements mandate that all schools have a 95 % participation rate in state tests. In the past, Madison Schools have expressed concern to state officials about including in test results a student that was a non-native English speaker and had been in the district for only a few weeks, or a student with a severe cognitive disability. Federal law now allows alternative tests to be administered to historically low-participation students (special education, English Language Learners).
| Grade | Subject | Wisconsin/ Madison | Total Enrolled | % No WSAS | % Wisconsin Alternative Assessment for Students with Disabilities* | % Wisconsin Alternative Assessment for LEP** | % Minimal | % Basic | % Proficient | % Advanced |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 4 | Reading | Wisconsin | 62390 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 12 | 40 | 40 |
| Reading | Madison | 1797 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 33 | 45 | |
| Language Arts | Wisconsin | 62390 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 15 | 43 | 35 | |
| Language Arts | Madison | 1797 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 13 | 36 | 38 | |
| Mathematics | Wisconsin | 62390 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 11 | 41 | 30 | |
| Mathematics | Madison | 1797 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 17 | 8 | 33 | 35 | |
| Science | Wisconsin | 62390 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 17 | 58 | 19 | |
| Science | Madison | 1797 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 16 | 48 | 23 | |
| Social Studies | Wisconsin | 62390 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 29 | 61 | |
| Social Studies | Madison | 1797 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 27 | 57 | |
| Grade 8 | Reading | Wisconsin | 67527 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 9 | 44 | 39 |
| Reading | Madison | 1866 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 35 | 46 | |
| Language Arts | Wisconsin | 67527 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 23 | 42 | 20 | |
| Language Arts | Madison | 1866 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 18 | 35 | 30 | |
| Mathematics | Wisconsin | 67527 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 13 | 47 | 26 | |
| Mathematics | Madison | 1866 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 11 | 36 | 36 | |
| Science | Wisconsin | 67527 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 15 | 46 | 28 | |
| Science | Madison | 1866 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 14 | 39 | 32 | |
| Social Studies | Wisconsin | 67527 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 12 | 44 | 37 | |
| Social Studies | Madison | 1866 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 11 | 37 | 42 | |
| Grade 10 | Reading | Wisconsin | 71678 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 14 | 19 | 52 |
| Reading | Madison | 2239 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 53 | |
| Language Arts | Wisconsin | 71678 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 18 | 49 | 21 | |
| Language Arts | Madison | 2239 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 36 | 27 | |
| Mathematics | Wisconsin | 71678 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 12 | 45 | 24 | |
| Mathematics | Madison | 2239 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 15 | 9 | 30 | 33 | |
| Science | Wisconsin | 71678 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 10 | 34 | 35 | |
| Science | Madison | 2239 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 18 | 6 | 24 | 38 | |
| Social Studies | Wisconsin | 71678 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 7 | 30 | 42 | |
| Social Studies | Madison | 2239 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 16 | 4 | 19 | 47 |
* WAA for Students with Disabilities was a custom test administered for the first time in 2002-03.
** WAA for LEP is a custom test for English Language Learners at a 1 or 2 level, first administered in 2002-03.
Public Information Office
545 W. Dayton St.
Madison, WI 53703
608-663-1879
email: newsrelease@madison.k12.wi.us
Last Modified: 2003-06-30
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