Trustee David Wilbanks has noticed a pattern among Arlington ISD eighth graders’ math scores.
The scores dipped steeply during the pandemic and have not improved despite the district’s “aggressive” goals, Wilbanks said. Every year, a specific group seems to have the worst performance.
The district expects 31% of its eighth graders to meet grade level on the upcoming State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness math test — a 3-percentage-point increase from last year, according to a presentation for trustees at the April 4 board meeting. Students begin the STAAR tests April 9.
Wilbanks wants the district to analyze the root cause of eighth graders’ math performance.
“It’s been my area of biggest concern since COVID, and I just think we probably need to look at what we’re doing and what’s not working and figure out what we need to be doing instead,” he said.
The district aims to have 39% of its students meet grade level on the math test.
Students took a benchmark assessment in February, and the district used the data to come up with strategies to prepare students for the STAAR tests.
As Arlington ISD continues to examine why students struggle to meet grade level, mathematics will be one of the district’s focus areas moving forward, said Laina McDonald, assistant superintendent of school leadership for Secondary Division and Strategic Support Elementary Schools.
“We are concerned, and we are continuing to dig in the data,” McDonald said.
Superintendent Matt Smith said math growth for middle school and junior high students is a statewide issue, but the district can explore strategies to improve in that area.
“We have to figure out how to change instructional practice, curriculum resources to make math more engaging, more fun at the middle school level as well,” Smith said. “And I don't mean that tongue in cheek, but I'm being honest about that.”
Arlington ISD is expecting a 2-percentage-point increase — from 46% to 48% — in the number of students who read at grade level on the state test. This means more than half of the district’s students will not read at grade level.
The district projects 42% of its third graders will read at grade level, a 4-percentage-point increase from last year.
Board Secretary Sarah McMurrough wondered about the district’s early literacy strategies and how they prepare third graders to be fluent before taking tests.
Third graders’ reading skills should be on the spot regardless of their test scores, McMurrough said.
“It’s the prerequisite,” she said. “If they are fluent readers by then, they’ll excel in all areas.”
The district has looked at data to create small-group instructions on campuses, McDonald said. Arlington ISD also builds time for elementary students to work on phonics and reading aloud.
Test fatigue
Board President Melody Fowler has a different concern about the assessments.
“I'm wondering if we test so many times, does the significance of the test decrease? It's just one more test,” Fowler said. “And I'm wondering if that's maybe why we're seeing this drop — it’s test fatigue.”
The district holds several benchmark tests and assessments over the academic year. The two biggest are from late October to early November and another in February.
Teachers should be teaching, Fowler said, but they cannot do so because tests or assessments happen constantly.
More than a dozen district staff members and teachers in attendance nodded in agreement.
Trustee Brooklyn Richardson acknowledged the reactions from staff members and teachers and wanted them to know that trustees see and hear their concerns.
“Testing fatigue is so real,” Richardson said. “And if it's real for our teachers, think about what it is for our students.”
The district has multiple tests over the year, from required district or state assessments to optional ones designed for teachers to monitor progress in their classrooms, Smith said.
Arlington ISD will have to study the most effective assessments for teachers, district levels and students, he said.
“We want our teachers to feel empowered to teach well in their classroom but also to use assessment well in their classroom, too,” Smith said. “And it's not saying that every assessment needs to go away. It's saying, 'What are the most beneficial assessments for teachers to use, and how to provide the right training and resources for them?'”
Dang Le is a reporting fellow for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at dang.le@fortworthreport.org or @DangHLe. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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