Congratulation to area schools on gains in third-grade reading proficiency levels.
Recently released test results show Tulsa Public Schools third-graders continued a trend of slow, steady progress since passage of a state law that emphasizes third-grade reading performance, including the strong possibility of holding back students who don’t pass the test. Some schools were up and others were down, but overall, the district’s third-grade reading scores were up by 3 percentage points.
The trend wasn’t unique to TPS.
Some suburban schools reported significant gains. Catoosa, Coweta, Berryhill, Liberty and Glenpool saw gains between 9 to 14 percentage points. Scores were also up, if by smaller numbers, in Jenks, Claremore, Sapulpa and Union and held steady at pretty good levels in Bartlesville, Owasso, Sand Springs and Sperry.
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Those results aren’t by accident. They represent a great deal of work by teachers, administrators, parents and, most important, third-graders. They also reflect that when the state sets a goal for schools and puts enough pressure on the situation, it can have an effect.
Meanwhile, away from the high profile third-grade mandate, there were some disappointing test numbers.
The final round of End of Instruction exams in Oklahoma showed mostly declines across Tulsa-area high schools. For example, 15 area high schools saw their U.S. History pass rate on the exams go down by 10 points or more.
Stock in the End-of-Instruction tests has fallen at the state Capitol as that of the third-grade reading tests has risen. Lawmakers voted this year to end the high school graduation test exam system.
Here’s the takeaway: When you put pressure on a system, it responds. Intense efforts in third-grade reading are paying off. But at the same time, if you deny a system a critical input — in this case, state funding for public schools — it isn’t able to produce efficiently and the loss is most likely to be felt where the pressure is less intense.
Despite the state’s unacceptable level of school funding, area schools are showing they can do something about third-grade reading scores. Imagine what they could do if we just gave them some money.
