On average Banks Elementary School’s 71 kindergarten students have a better grip on the alphabet and stronger early math skills than other 5-year-olds in Oregon, according to data released Jan. 31.
On Friday Gov. John Kitzhaber and the Oregon Department of Education released the results of the statewide kindergarten assessment. Ninety-five percent of kindergartners across the state took the test, which was created in light of a house bill passed by legislature in 2012.
The results offered an “unprecedented and sobering look at the readiness of Oregon’s youngest learners,” according to a press release from the governor's office.
Fourteen percent of kindergartners couldn’t name a single letter of the alphabet and 33 percent could name five or fewer letters, according to the press release.
The three-category test was given to students in September. The test was designed to gauge areas tied to third grade reading, according to the press release.
On the whole, Banks students scored better than statewide averages and kindergartners at nearby districts, like Forest Grove and Gaston.
Early math: To assess math knowledge, students were given 16 questions about addition, patterns, subtraction and number recognition and asked to point out the correct answer. The test was not timed, but typically took from five to nine minutes. Statewide, 40,679 students took the test and on average got eight math questions correct. Banks kindergartners averaged 8.9 correct questions.
Early Literacy: Another piece of the assessment evaluated students’ knowledge and fluency of letter sounds and names. Students were presented with a chart with 100 upper and lower case letters and given a minute to identify as many as possible. Students were also given a minute to point out letter sounds when shown a chart with 110 letters and letter combinations. Statewide, students had an average of 18.5 correct letter names 6.7 correct letter sounds on average. In Banks, students on average correctly identified 21.1 letter names and 7.6 letter sounds.
Approaches to learning: The test also looked at “approaches to learning,” such as the student’s ability to focus, stick with a task and work with others. During classroom activities, teachers evaluated 15 factors related to self-regulation and interpersonal skills. Students were scored on a one to five scale, with one meaning they “never demonstrated the skill,” three meaning they “sometimes” showed the skill and five meaning they “always” showed the skill, according to the release.
The average score for all students in the state is 3.5 in self-regulation and 3.9 for interpersonal skills. In Banks, students averaged a score of 3.7 for self-regulation and 4.0 for interpersonal skills.
Want to see scores from other schools? Check OregonLive's searchable database for every school with a kindergarten.