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December 07, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Recently released test scores show that Cobb County students surpassed
national averages on the fall administration of the Iowa Tests of Basic
Skills (ITBS). The school district administered the ITBS to students in
grades 3, 5, and 8 during the first two weeks of September. Cobb third
graders had a composite score average of 68th percentile, which means
Cobb third graders scored equal to or better than 68 percent of all
other third grade students who participated in the ITBS nationwide.
Composite scores for fifth graders ranked in the 65th percentile
nationally while eighth graders scored in the 59th percentile. These
scores reflect a decrease for third and fifth grade students from 2005.
The purpose of the ITBS is to obtain information about how the
performance of Cobb students compares with that of other students across
the nation. While the District concentrates most of its testing
resources and attention on the high-stakes statewide Criterion Reference
Competency Test (CRCT), the ITBS provides valuable data about how Cobb
students compare nationally, and in what specific areas students may
need additional help. ITBS results are particularly helpful in
identifying reading or math skills where students may need additional
instruction. By administering the test in the fall, teachers then have
time to work with students before spring CRCT testing begins.
Core subjects tested by the ITBS include reading, math, and language
arts. In Cobb County, third graders performed best in math where they
scored in the 64th percentile. Although not a part of the core total
score, third grade students scored in the 67th and 65th percentiles in
Social Studies and Science respectively. Cobb fifth graders consistently
scored in the 64th percentile in the core areas of Reading, Language
Arts and Math. Highest scores in the core subjects for district eighth
grade students were in math with a percentile rank of 60, down one
percentage point from last year.
Despite lower district scores, a couple of schools showed notable
improvement over 2004. Teasley third grade students raised the composite
score from last year's 66th percentile, to the current 81st percentile,
an increase of 15 percent. Nickajack Elementary's third graders also saw
a big increase over last year's scores, jumping from the 51st percentile
to the 64th percentile, or 13 percentage points. Fifth grade students at
Sanders Elementary pushed the school's composite score to the 48th
percentile, from last year's 37th - a gain of 11 percentage points.
The ITBS is a norm-referenced test that ranks student performance
according to percentiles. For example, a student in the 75th percentile
scored equal to or better than 75 percent of all students across the
nation who participated in the ITBS at the same grade level. Also
reported are grade equivalents, or GE scores. The numbers in the GE
score that come before the decimal represent the grade level of the
student's performance, while the digits that follow the decimal
represent the month within the grade. A GE score of 5.2 means the
student's performance was similar to that expected of a fifth grader
taking the same test during the second month of school.
"Scores for Cobb students remain above the national average in all areas
tested on the ITBS and even though the scores are slightly lower than
last year our students are competitive with their peers" said Cobb
school superintendent Fred Sanderson. "We know that students in the
grades tested on the ITBS (3, 5, and 8) must pass the CRCT next spring
to be promoted to the next year so the results of the ITBS can help us
to plan our instructional program to better prepare the students."
Student scores are reported for the system
in Table I. Individual school scores are reported in Tables IIa-IIc.
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