Robbinsdale Reading Scores Improve in Early Grades, Hover in Later

, while testing below state averages in all grades, have shown significant improvement in reading proficiency in third and fourth grades.

(Details on each school’s performance are available here.)

Every area grade school showed higher reading scores in third-grade testing; some improving by as much as 11 percent (Meadow Lake Elementary). Six of nine district schools also showed improvement in fourth-grade testing, showing overall district improvement outpacing statewide average gains for the 2010-2011 school year.

Progress plateaus, however, in fifth-grade reading testing, with most schools showing either an increase or decrease of only a few points, one notable exception being Meadow Lake Elementary, again, who improved their fifth grade reading performance by nearly 14 percent. 

Robbinsdale Spanish Immersion and Zachary Lane have both topped 90 percent in all three grades, with the worst performing school, Northport Elementary, staying in the 40s and 50s, but showing some improvement. 

Noble Elementary showed steady gains in all grade levels, its highest gain, eight percent, in fourth grade testing.

Statewide, students in grades three, four, and five show average changes of +2.2, +2.7, and -0.4 percent respectively.

Area middle schools are another matter. Plymouth Middle School shows gains of more than 5 percent in sixth- and seventh-grade results, but a drop of 4 percent in eighth grade. Robbinsdale Middle School fell in sixth and eighth grade, and held steady in seventh.

High school reading scores have dipped district-wide.

The Robbinsdale School District suffered a $5.1 million dollar budget cut for the district in for the 2010-2011 school year, but expect less significant cuts in the coming school year.

“Resources do matter,” said Superintendent Aldo Sicoli, in a statement released shortly after the results came to light. “The cuts for 2011-2012 have been cut in half from the previous year; and that reduction in cuts, along with continued strong professional development in best practices, put us in a stronger position for 2011-2012. We will never be satisfied with status quo. We are dedicated to an outstanding education for all students.”

In math scores, while the state has shown gains in averages for 11th-grade students, the district average has fallen slightly. Math scores for grades 3 through 8 are difficult to quantify, because of rigorous new standards in math testing, making comparissons to 2010 scores somewhat less revealing.

“We continue to set the bar high for Minnesota students with tougher new standards, and to improve the ways in which we help children master them,” said Minnesota Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius, in a statement issued Wednesday. “The good news is that our high school students are rising to the challenge. However, these results also show us we have some work to do to ensure all of our kids are well prepared for success in a competitive global economy.”