Lake Marie Elementary’s California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress, or CAASPP, test scores have made substantial strides that have placed them in the top 140 schools in California for score improvement.
Over the past three years Lake Marie has seen steady growth in both English Language Arts, or ELA, and math. However, this last year Lake Marie saw improvement in every grade level with exceptional growth in their third grade classes in both subject areas with 78% of students meeting or exceeding standards in ELA, and 69% of students meeting or exceeding standards in math.
“They have had a strong focus on writing and this shows in both their English Language Arts scores and math scores,” Director of Assessment, Stacy Ayers-Escarcega, stated.
Students are now expected not only to compute math problems, they must write a paragraph to explain how they derived the answer. By incorporating writing into both ELA and math, scores have increased in both subject areas.
"Based on my research in looking at scores across the state, Lake Marie's ELA scores put them in the top 140 schools who make the most growth,” Stacy Ayers-Escarcega stated. “When you consider there are over 10,000 schools in California, this is quite an accomplishment!"
With substantial progress in test scores, Lake Marie remains committed to success for every student and has developed a commitment and action plan to help every student meet or exceed standards.
Their plan includes targeted, intensive, and engaging instruction in both ELA and math, use of data analysis to determine which standards students have met and which they are deficient in, which allows teachers to know the academic level of every student. Lake Marie also has teachers strategically monitor progress and commit to differentiate instruction, working in small groups and providing materials that reinforce or challenge students. Lastly, Lake Marie is creating a student centered classroom where students are speaking 50% of the time, presenting concepts, and working in collaborative groups that allow them to apply knowledge in a creative and meaningful way.
Lake Marie has also incorporated before and after school intervention programs to help students who need extra support. One program that has already begun is “MobyMax".
“MobyMax is an adaptive web-based program and will reinforce and challenge students academic needs based on how they perform during their session time on the computer,” Lake Marie principal, Lisa Palomino, shared.
Lake Marie wants to encourage all Lake Marie leopards to foster a love for learning, engage in science and inquiry, and to use their creative minds.
Well done Lake Marie!