Westfield Washington Schools’ ISTEP+ scores continue to increase and outpace the state average scores. WWS ranks 11 out of the 293 districts across the state, placing the district in the top 4 percent in Indiana.
“Over the past seven years, our ISTEP+ scores have steadily increased across the district,” said Supt. Mark Keen. “We are pleased the scores are this high and are a reflection of the good teachers we have in the district and the outstanding support of our parents and community.”
The average percentage of WWS students passing both language arts and math is 15 percent higher across the grade levels than the state average and is 19 percent higher in grades 4 and 8. Compared to last year’s results, Westfield had passage increases of 0.3 percent in English/language arts, 0.4 percent in math and 0.4 percent in students that passed both.
By the numbers: ISTEP+ Results
Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6 Grade 7 Grade 8
Westfield 88.2% 89.4% 84.5% 86.8% 83.5% 85.3%
Noblesville 84.7% 85.3% 80.9% 83.1% 84% 81.3%
Hamilton SE 88.7% 86.6% 85.7% 85.7% 86.6% 88.3%
Carmel Clay 91.5% 90.6% 93.3% 94.2% 92.5% 93.6%
Ham. Heights 79.4% 71.4% 79.1% 75.6% 77.3% 80.7%
Sheridan 74.4% 66.2% 81.6% 77.9% 78.5% 73.8%
Ham. Co. avg. 84.5% 81.6% 84.2% 83.9% 83.7% 83.8%
State average 74% 70% 73% 70% 67% 65%
*Numbers from the Indiana Dept. of Education based on students passing both English and math
“These results are simply an affirmation of the data we have from other measures used to monitor how well our students are learning,” said Keen.
In addition to Westfield’s increase, State Supt. of Public Instruction Tony Bennett announced Indiana’s students earned another year of record-breaking scores on ISTEP+ at a Statehouse recognition ceremony.
“Hoosiers from all walks of life should greet this news with a standing ovation,” said Bennett. “More students are getting a world-class education in our schools. Thanks to the efforts of Indiana’s great teachers, we’re successfully educating a new generation of leaders and innovators who will build a more prosperous future for our state.”
Keen said ISTEP+ provides just one piece of the picture that the district uses to assess student achievement. Common Instructional Checks, Northwest Evaluation Association growth, differentiated instruction and Response to Instruction are key components used to provide students what they need to succeed.
The purpose of the Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress Plus program is to measure student achievement in the subject areas of English/language arts (grades 3-8), mathematics (grades 3-8), science (grades 4 and 6) and social studies (grades 5 and 7). In particular, ISTEP+ reports student achievement levels according to the Indiana Academic Standards. An Applied Skills Assessment and a Multiple-Choice Assessment are used to measure these standards; they are required components of the ISTEP+ program.