Following is an excerpt from an article, "School's Emphasis on Reading Boosts Test Scores," in yesterday's Honolulu Advertiser:
"From kindergarten through fifth grade at the [Kuhio Elementary School], reading is infused into just about every lesson plan, a calculated move by administrators to improve scores on Hawaii's demanding student performance tests.
"Statewide, the news on state test scores this month was grim, as results showed all but third-grade math scores declined from the year before and all of the four grade levels tested scored below the state's standards for proficiency in math and reading.
"But there were sparkles of promise in unexpected places. Nearly 40 percent of Kuhio third-graders who took the state tests this spring met or exceeded the state standard in reading, up from 23.8 percent in 2002, the state Department of Education reported. Seventeen percent of third-graders were proficient in math, compared with 6.3 percent the year before. Fifth-graders at the school also made advances in reading, yet slid a few percentage points in math.
"Even more surprising to some outside the school, Kuhio also made its annual target for improvement under the federal No Child Left Behind law, despite a student population where 69 percent receive subsidized school lunches and nearly a quarter speak limited English. Sixty-four percent of public schools statewide failed to meet annual targets under the law.
"'I know we worked very hard,' said Evelyn Aczon Hao, the school's principal. 'But I'm so pleased that we made it.'"
The complete text of the Honolulu Advertiser article can be found online.
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Last Modified: 03/05/2008
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October 10
