Fort Worth ISD students performed better on the district’s beginning-of-year MAP tests this school year than they did last year in every STAAR-tested grade level, according to data released by the district Thursday.
The MAP test is administered by Fort Worth ISD at the beginning, middle and end of each school year to measure where students are performing against national grade-level averages. The MAP test also projects how students in grades 3-12 will perform on the spring STAAR exam.
Projected STAAR performance at the Meets Grade Level or Above category improved in all nine tested groups, district data showed. Those groups were: reading in grades 3-5, reading in grades 6-8, reading in grades 9-12, math in grades 3-5, math in grades 6-8, Algebra I, science in grade 5, science in grade 8 and Biology.
The biggest improvement came in elementary level math. In grades 3-5, the number of students projected to reach Meets Grade Level or Above on the spring STAAR test rose from 28.3% of test takers last year to 44% this year, an increase of 15.7 percentage points.
Math at the secondary level also improved, with the number of students projected to meet grade level or above on the spring STAAR exam going from 40.9% last year to 49.1% this year. Algebra I increased from 38.1% to 47.8%.
Reading also improved in all STAAR-tested grade levels, but on a smaller scale than math. The number of students projected to meet grade level on STAAR rose six percentage points in grades 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12.
In a news release Thursday, Fort Worth ISD Superintendent Peter Licata credited teachers for the gains on the beginning-of-year MAP test.
“In March, I said our North Star was every student reading on grade level, mastering mathematics, and graduating ready for what comes next,” Licata wrote. “This is the first look at whether we are moving toward it. We are. Our teachers did this. We asked them to teach differently this year, and one month in, their students were already showing us something.”
Fort Worth ISD leaders said they focused more on what elementary math teachers are teaching, how they teach it and the support they are receiving along the way. Campus leaders worked more closely with teachers to use student data to inform instruction.
Licata and other district leaders also said Thursday that MAP growth projections show a trajectory instead of a final outcome, which won’t come until students actually take the STAAR exam in the spring.
Most Fort Worth ISD students are still not projected to reach grade level on the spring exam, the district said.
“These early results reflect what is possible when we set high expectations for every student,” wrote state-appointed Board of Managers President Pete Geren, in the release. “We are encouraged by this progress, but our work continues. Every student deserves the opportunity to achieve at the highest level, and we must remain focused on delivering the outcomes our students and families expect.”
Fort Worth ISD’s gains in the beginning-of-year MAP test match its improvements in last school year’s spring 3-8 STAAR exam and end-of-course exams for high schoolers. The percentage of students who met grade level increased across nearly all 3-8 grades in both reading and math, though the district still trails statewide averages.
Fort Worth ISD reported the total number of beginning-of-year MAP tests completed across all subjects was 124,750, which is a participation rate of 96.3% of students in the district.
Families can view their own child’s MAP Growth Report through the Focus Parent Portal, district officials said. The report explains how the student performed and offers ways families can support learning at home.
Editor’s note: Pete Geren is the president and chief executive officer of the Sid W. Richardson Foundation, which is a funder of the Star-Telegram’s Crossroads Lab. The Star-Telegram retains independence in all coverage decisions.
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Samuel O’Neal is the K-12 Education Reporter at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, covering public schools and policy that impacts them. He previously worked as a staff writer at the Philadelphia Inquirer and is a graduate of Temple University.