10 Mar 2006
DISD Posts Gains of 3.4 Percentage Points for Third, 9.2 Percentage Points for Fifth Graders
DALLAS—Dallas Independent School District third and fifth-grade students continued to increase their proficiency on the first administration of the state’s reading assessment given in February, with gains over last year’s performance as high as 3.4 percentage points overall for third grade and 9.2 percentage points overall for fifth grade, district officials announced Friday.
The 3.4 percentage point and 9.2 percentage point gains come after extracting the influx of Wilmer Hutchins ISD and Hurricane Katrina students in the DISD count, a provision previously approved by the Texas Education Agency. With those students included in the DISD total, improvements were still at 3.0 percentage points for third graders and 8.8 percentage points for fifth.
"The trend lines for student achievement on the TAKS reading test continue to improve in Dallas ISD—not to the rate we’re hoping for, but there is improvement over last year’s performance," DISD Superintendent Michael Hinojosa said. "We have a lot of work to do and know that our districtwide improvement plan called Dallas Achieves will have a definite impact on these numbers in the coming years. Congratulations go to our students and teachers for their improvements. We have to stay focused and get better faster than our competing school districts as we move forward."
A total of 79.4 percent of DISD third graders passed the TAKS reading test on its first administration, and 64.3 percent of the district’s fifth graders also passed. A total of 64.1 percent of the
district’s WHISD third graders passed, and 51 percent of the fifth graders passed. A total of 54.3 percent of the Katrina/Rita hurricane evacuees passed the third grade portion of the test, with only 35.7 percent of the fifth graders passing.
Percent Met Standard on TAKS 2006 Reading for Grades 3 and 5 – First Administration
for the Wilmer-Hutchins and Katrina/Rita Students
|
Grade |
DISD Excluding W-H & Katrina/Rita Students |
Wilmer Hutchins Only |
Katrina or Rita Only |
|---|---|---|---|
|
English & Spanish Combined |
|
|
|
|
Grade 3: |
79.4% |
64.1% |
54.3% |
|
Grade 5: |
64.3% |
51.0% |
35.7% |
Before taking on WHISD students last August, the TEA had approved a plan that would not include the WHISD students in the DISD accountability ratings for the 2005-06 school year. The state also granted a similar provision for the almost 2,000 students who came to DISD after the Gulf hurricanes in September of 2005.
Percent All Students Met Standard on TAKS 2005 and 2006 Reading for Grades 3 and 5 – First Administration
|
Grade |
Spring 2005 |
Spring 2006 |
Gain |
|---|---|---|---|
|
English & Spanish Combined |
|
|
|
|
Grade 3: |
76.0% |
79.0% |
3.0% |
|
Grade 5: |
55.1% |
63.9% |
8.8% |
|
TAKS English Only |
|
|
|
|
Grade 3 |
76.9% |
79.8% |
2.9% |
|
Grade 5 |
55.1% |
63.9% |
8.8% |
|
TAKS Spanish Only |
|
|
|
|
Grade 3 |
60.0% |
68.5% |
8.5% |
"We will continue to work closely with the students who have come to Dallas ISD and work to increase their level of achievement in the future," Hinojosa said. "All children deserve the opportunity for great success. We are focused on providing it to the children of Dallas."
The superintendent said the district will begin aggressive efforts to prepare those students who did not pass the first administration for the second testing.