Bush Elementary School Principal Lynne Engle said her staff has already started working on ways to better implement new instructional strategies as they work to improve student performance in 2014-15.
Bush saw drops in all three testing areas last year, going from 58.9 percent scoring proficient or advanced in 2013 to 48.4 percent in 2014 in English/language arts. Math scores went from 69 percent of students scoring proficient or advanced in 2013 to 62.3 percent in 2014. There was also a slight dip in science - which is tested only in the fifth grade - with 61.8 percent of students scoring proficient or advanced in 2014 compared to 63 percent in 2013.
Engle noted that math scores stayed pretty consistent, which she said has a lot to do with the use of Accelerated Math in conjunction with the Everyday Math curriculum.
"What Everyday Math doesn't reinforce, the Accelerated Math does," she said. "It gives us a good mix of both."
Engle said one of the weaknesses that jumped out to Bush teachers as they started analyzing data was higher-level thinking skills.
"With the Missouri Learning Standards, students are expected to have the ability to think outside the box," Engle said. "We started working on strategies last year that we felt like were working. ... We know we have more work to do."
She also identified subgroup performance as an area that needs improvement, noting "that's where we went down a little."
"Last year in reading we were working on more interventions with our subgroups," Engle said. "We are going to continue with that process, making sure the kids get the intervention they need to keep moving forward."
Engle said 2014 was the second consecutive year that science scores were down, something she attributed in part to the transition of implementing the new Sangari science program - and accompanying curriculum changes - last year.
"This year I feel like we have a good grasp on it, and we have some good technology we're going to try to implement more so students get more practice," she said.
She said reading is something all three Fulton elementary schools are working on, expanding implementation of guided reading.
"We decided to make it K-8 so students have a foundation and can build on that," Engle said. "We're using the Jan Richardson model, doing book studies district-wide to make sure everybody has the same background ... the same vocabulary development, phonics - all the pieces that are needed for reading."
She said Bush also will continue working on writing this year.
"We've been focusing on improving their constructive response reading, and it appears to have worked. We're going to continue with that this year," Engle said.
Another strategy she said the school will continue this year is Whole Brain Teaching, which more Bush teachers are using in the classroom.
"The kids are able to do partner work, talk about what they've learned and they're able to describe it, and that helps with the repetition," Engle said.
Like Bartley Elementary, she said Bush will also be striving for the desired one-to-one student-to-technology ratio - especially in the third, fourth and fifth grades.
"This year they're going to have to be able to use the Chromebook to take the test," Engle said. "We're really pushing the technology piece so they get proficient at using it."
Engle said she and her staff continue to brainstorm and "work as hard as we can to make sure we have everything covered for our kids."
She said those strategy sessions have become increasingly effective as Fulton's elementary schools collaborate together.
"No one's an expert, but everybody has some knowledge, and when you put that together that's a pretty powerful thing," Engle said.
A look at Bush Elementary MAP scores
English/language arts
Third grade saw a drop in English language arts for 2014, with 23.5 percent of students earning advanced scores compared to 24.3 percent in 2013; 16.2 percent scoring proficient compared to 28.6 percent in 2013 and 57.4 percent scoring at basic compared to 42.9 percent in 2013. There was no reportable percentage in below basic for 2013 or 2014.
Fourth grade had fewer students earn advanced scores in 2014 - 11.3 percent compared to 28.8 percent in 2013 - but still saw improvement with 38.7 percent of students scoring at proficient compared to 30.5 percent in 2013; 45.2 percent at basic compared to 35.6 percent in 2013 and no reportable percentage in below basic compared to 5.1 percent in 2013.
Fifth grade also did not do quite as well in English language arts for 2014, with 23.2 percent of students earning advanced scores compared to 36.8 percent in 2013; 33.9 percent scoring proficient compared to 29.8 percent in 2014 and 39.3 percent scoring at basic compared to 31.6 percent in 2013. There was no reportable percentage in below basic for 2013 or 2014.
Mathematics
Third grade math scores improved, with 27.9 percent of students earning advanced scores compared to 26.1 percent in 2013; 39.7 percent scoring proficient compared to 34.8 percent in 2013; 26.5 percent earning basic scores compared to 36.2 percent in 2013 and 5.9 percent scoring below basic, with no reportable percentage in that category for 2013.
Fourth grade did not do quite as well in math, with 11.5 percent of students earning advanced scores for 2014 compared to 18.6 percent the year before; 42.6 percent earning proficient compared to 50.8 percent in 2013; 42.6 percent scoring basic compared to 28.8 percent in 2013 and no reportable percentage in below basic for either year.
Fifth grade also did not fare as well in math in 2014, with 32.1 percent of students earning advanced scores for 2014 compared to 35.1 percent the year before; 32.1 percent earning proficient compared to 42.1 percent in 2013; 30.4 percent scoring basic compared to 21.1 percent in 2013 and 5.4 percent scoring at below basic, with no reportable percentage at that level in 2013.
Science
Bush's fifth graders had mixed results in science, with 14.3 percent of students earning advanced scores compared to 22.8 percent in 2013; 46.4 percent of students scoring proficient compared to 40.4 percent in 2013; 30.4 percent scoring basic compared to 33.3 percent in 2013 and 8.9 percent scoring below basic compared to no reportable percentage in 2013.