Preliminary reading test figures show that 74 percent of third-graders in the Oklahoma City school district qualify for promotion to the fourth grade, according to the state Education Department.
Those students met Reading Sufficiency Act criteria for vocabulary and comprehension included in the latest Oklahoma Core Curriculum Test.
Twenty-six percent of district third-graders who took the test in April didn't satisfy the minimum standards and could be held back in the coming school year unless they meet one of seven good-cause exemptions.
Preliminary figures obtained by The Oklahoman show that 48 percent of students who took the reading test scored proficient or advanced, and the scores for 52 percent showed limited knowledge or an unsatisfactory reading level.

Schools that had at least 80 percent of students score proficient or advanced were Cleveland (94 percent); Nichols Hills (87 percent); Wilson (86 percent); Ridgeview (84 percent); Pierce (82 percent); and Johnson (81 percent).

Low-performing schools include Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School, where 14 percent of third-graders scored proficient or advanced, and Greystone Upper, where 22 percent of third-graders scored proficient or advanced.

Other schools that fared poorly include Adams, where 23 percent scored proficient or advanced; Shidler (23 percent); F.D. Moon (24 percent); Spencer (25 percent); North Highland (30 percent); Rockwood (30 percent); and Willow Brook (30 percent).
Charter schools in the Oklahoma City district were not included with the figures reviewed for this report, and neither the number of district students who took the test nor their scores were provided.

“Admittedly, there's always room for improvement, but keep in mind that the OCCT scores are preliminary, and there could be significant change when the final results are published,” said Lynn Barnes, senior executive director of PK-12 academics for the Oklahoma City district. “Having said that, these OCCT scores do not fully represent the potential of our students at Oklahoma City Public Schools.”
+In 2015, 3,944 Oklahoma City school district third-graders completed the test, with 2,845 scoring advanced, proficient or limited knowledge and qualifying for promotion.

About 1,099 third-graders (28 percent) scored unsatisfactory on the test, according to preliminary figures provided by the district in May 2015.
At the time, Aurora Lora, then the district's associate superintendent of student achievement, said about 490 of those students who scored unsatisfactory on the test were likely to qualify for good-cause exemptions and be promoted. 

Some improvements
Statewide, 88 percent of the state's 54,000 third-graders qualified for automatic promotion to the fourth grade, leaving 12 percent at risk of being held back.
By comparison, 14.6 percent of students failed the exam in 2015, and 16.3 percent failed in 2014.

Oklahoma City district elementary schools showing the greatest improvement were Jackson (72 percent of students scored proficient or advanced in 2016 compared with 40 percent in 2015); Southern Hills (62 percent compared with 31 percent); Edgemere (62 percent compared with 43 percent); and Sequoyah (61 percent compared with 40 percent).

Schools showing the biggest drop-off include Gatewood Elementary, where 33 percent of students scored proficient or advanced in 2016 compared with 54 percent the previous year and 64 percent in 2014, when Oklahoma tied reading scores to advancement to the fourth grade.

Van Buren Elementary, meanwhile, saw 42 percent of students score proficient or advanced compared with 71 percent in 2015, and Hawthorne Elementary dropped to 47 percent in 2016 from 65 percent in 2015 and 76 percent in 2014.
Thirty percent of Willow Brook students scored proficient or advanced — a 25 percent drop from the previous year.

What's next?
Barnes said the district “is currently implementing more rigorous academic standards and high-impact instructional practices” in all classrooms to improve performance.

“We expect to see continuous improvement in state test scores, and improvement in deep understanding of academic concepts through different methods of assessment,” she said.

Beginning with the 2016-17 school year, if a student doesn't meet criteria established by the Reading Sufficiency Act, then the student is considered for retention regardless of what they score on the OCCT.

In other words, even if a student scores limited knowledge or unsatisfactory but meets RSA criteria for vocabulary and comprehension, then they are automatically promoted in the coming school year.

Additionally, third-graders who score limited knowledge on the 2017 state test will be evaluated for retention, as well.

Those students demonstrate partial mastery of the essential knowledge and skills appropriate to their grade level. Students who scored unsatisfactory, meanwhile, have not performed at the limited knowledge level, and should be given comprehensive reading instruction, according to performance descriptors provided by the state Education Department.

Students who can demonstrate sufficient reading skills on another state-approved reading test, along with certain English-language learners and disabled students are among those who qualify for exemptions.

One of those exemptions allows a student who fails the test to still be promoted if a committee of parents and educators — including a certified reading specialist — approve.
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School districts have until July 15 to contest preliminary scores. Final scores will be made available in July or August.
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