Warsaw Community Schools’ 2013 final pass rate on the IREAD-3 increased slightly over the 2012 final pass rate. In May, Chief Accountability Officer Amy Sivley reported data for the IREAD-3 given to third-graders in March. Monday night, she reported results from the second round of testing. Third-graders who don’t pass the state IREAD-3 test in the spring have an opportunity to retake the test in summer. If a third-grader does not pass the test the second time, they may be held back from advancing to fourth grade unless they qualify for a Good Cause Exemption. Good Cause Exemptions include a student who has previously been retained two times prior to fourth grade; students with disabilities whose case conference committee has determined that promotion is appropriate; and English Learner students whose “Individual Learning Plan” committee has determined that promotion is appropriate. Sivley said 64 Warsaw third-graders were eligible for summer school remediation. Of those, 47 students actually attended. Twenty-one students passed the IREAD-3 after summer school. She said 43 students are still in the “Did Not Pass” category. However, one student left the school district before the school year ended, and 39 are eligible for exemption. Three students will be reported as third-grade students for the 2013-14 school year, she said. Those students likely will be placed in a fourth-grade class, but will receive third-grade reading instruction and participate in both third-grade ISTEP and IREAD-3. Sivley then reviewed results for each elementary school. Claypool’s first-time pass rate was 94.8 percent, with 55 of 58 third-graders passing the IREAD-3 in March. One student retook the test in the summer, but did not pass. Three Claypool students were eligible for exemptions. Claypool’s final pass rate then for 2013 is 100 percent, up from 97.6 percent in 2012. First-time pass rate this year for Eisenhower was 94 percent, or 79 of 84 students. One student took the summer test and passed. Four students were eligible for exemptions. Eisenhower had a 100 percent final pass rate in 2013 and 2012. Harrison’s first-time pass rate was 86.1 percent, or 68 of 79 students. Eleven students attended summer remediation and retook the test, with five of those students passing. Five students were eligible for exemptions. One student at Harrison will be reported in the fall as a third-grader. Harrison’s final pass rate in 2013 decreased to 98.7 percent from 100 percent in 2012. The first-time pass rate at Jefferson was 79.8 percent, or 71 of 89 students passing IREAD-3. Eleven were retested over the summer, with four passing. According to Sivley, 13 qualified for exemptions. One Jefferson student will be reported as a third-grader in the fall. The 2013 final pass rate for Jefferson is 98.9 percent, up from 98.5 percent in 2012. Leesburg’s first-time pass rate was 83.1 percent, or 49 of 59 students. Eight students were retested in the summer, with five passing. Five students were eligible for exemptions. While the 2012 final pass rate for Leesburg was 98.6 percent, the 2013 rate is 100 percent. Lincoln had a first-time pass rate of 90.5 percent, or 67 of 74 students. Seven were tested after summer remediation, with four passing. Two students are eligible for exemptions. One Lincoln student will be reported as a third-grader in the fall. Lincoln’s 2013 final pass rate is 98.6 percent, down from 100 percent in 2012. Of 68 third-graders, 62 (91.2 percent) passed the first time at Madison. Five students attended the summer program, with two passing. Three students are eligible for exemptions. Sivley said Madison had a 100 percent final pass rate in 2012 and 2013, though one Madison student left the school district before the school year was out this year. Washington STEM Academy had a first-time pass rate of 92.9 percent, or 52 of 56 students. One student was tested in the summer, but did not pass. Four students were eligible for exemptions. The elementary’s final pass rate in 2012 and 2013 was 100 percent. Overall at Warsaw Community Schools, 503 of 567 third-graders (88.7 percent) passed the IREAD-3 the first time in March. Forty-seven students retested in the summer, with 21 (44.7 percent) passing. Thirty-nine were eligible for exemptions. The 2013 final pass rate is 99.3 percent, up from 99.2 percent in 2012, Sivley reported. The one student in 2012 who did not pass successfully passed the test this year. School board member Randy Polston asked if parents are notified of their students’ situations before the start of the school year. Sivley said they were. She also reported, “This year we tested about 60 more students than last year and we still saw an increase (in the pass rate).” She attributed that to “a very, very good job by our teachers.”
