Recently released test scores by the Mississippi Department of Education show a need for high-quality pre-K programs, says Dr. Jennifer Wilson, superintendent of the Greenwood School District.
The pre-K assessment results for early learning collaboratives and other classrooms for 4-year-olds were released by the state department on Tuesday. These scores were from tests taken in August, Wilson said.
The Kindergarten Readiness Assessment provides information about what children know before receiving instruction and beginning school for the first time. Once the results are returned, educators can use the data to determine what can be improved in the classroom, said a press release from the Mississippi Department of Education.
This was the first year for the Greenwood Leflore Early Learning Collaborative — a partnership of the district, Gilliam Head Start and Judy’s Kids learning center — funded by a $750,000 state grant to expand pre-K instruction.
The collaborative as a whole scored a 403 on a 300-to-900 scale at the beginning of the year.
Gilliam Head Start Center scored a 399, and Threadgill Primary scored a 407.
According to the STAR Early Literacy Achievement Standards, students who scored 300 to 487 are Early Emergent Readers, which means they are learning that reading “involves printed words and sentences, and that print flows from left to right and from the top to the bottom of the page.” It also means students are beginning to identify colors, shapes, numbers and letters.
At the state level, the average score for students at the beginning of the year was 427, and 81 percent of those students who took the readiness exam were early emergent readers.
“If you look at our students, we are slightly lower than the average scores,” Wilson said. “It shows the need for high- quality pre-K programs.”
She said if such programs are not provided, children will not progress or improve their scores.
According to Wilson, the Greenwood Leflore Early Learning Collaborative has provided a good program.
Throughout the year, the district has ensured that students succeed in the collaborative by providing intensive professional development, teachers receiving high-quality materials and resources and implementing Opening the World of Learning (OWL) curriculum.
Wilson said the state also monitors the implementation of curriculum, observes classrooms, provides feedback and administers assessments.
At the end of the month, pre-K teachers from both schools in the collaborative will take part in a 10-day training session offered by the Mississippi Department of Education.
“Building teacher capacity, that is the key,” Wilson said.
The Early Learning Collaborative Act of 2013 required that pre-K programs meet a certain rate of readiness to remain eligible for funding, the press release said. Students must score a 498 — meaning they have mastered 70 percent of literacy skills — by the end of pre-K to ensure they are ready for kindergarten, the press release said.
“We assessed them in May to see how they have grown from the beginning of pre-K, and we are waiting on those results,” Wilson said.
Those collective end-of-the-year scores are expected to be released this month.
Wilson said she is not sure what those test scores will look like but said student progress has been monitored throughout the year.
“I do believe we are going to see increased scores,” she said.
Wilson said the district will analyze that data to determine which areas need improvement and provide more intensive instruction where it is needed.
•Contact Lauren Randall at 581-7239 or lrandall@gwcommonwealth.com.
