Sadly, this study shows that Plano’s
math standards does not match its reputation.
The first table below shows each school and each grade
groups with their respective percentages of students attaining passing and proficiency
scores. For ease of comparison, we adopted a letter rating system pegged to the percentage
of student attaining proficiency score. I have similarly tabulated the results of
neighboring districts as a basis for comparison and have duly summarized the rating
distribution in second table. In the third grade Plano had 3 schools out of a total of 28
getting a letter grade of C and 4 schools getting a D. When you look at the number of
schools getting a grade C and above, it is clear that Plano lags behind Richardson and
Lewisville at every elementary grade level both in numbers and percentages. When we
compare Plano with four suburban districts of Houston, the picture is equally bleak.
The website developed a list of the state’s most
successful schools over a three-year period from 1996-1998. The third table identifies the
schools in this study which have consistently score above average proficiency ratings for
mathematics at that grade level over a three-year period. Some districts have a relatively
bad year in 1998 but still make it among the top schools because of their consistent
performance. Garland’s third grade had only one school scoring a better than D rating
in 1998 - the worst among the nine districts. However, it has three schools listed among
the top performers. Likewise, Katy and Cypress-Fairbanks also fared worse than Plano in
the third grade results in 1998 but still have top performers. No matter how we look at
this, Plano needs to do much better with the resources at our disposal.
To do well in algebra later, a strong foundation is
necessary in the elementary years. If this is indicative of a trend, it should concern us
that Plano kids may not be as well prepared for future challenges. If so many Plano
elementary students cannot be proficient on an admittedly easy test of minimally required
math skills, even Merlin cannot make up for those lost years later. I hope that this
article and subsequent ones on reading and writing as well as secondary level performances
would help to increase public awareness and help us set higher goals than just passing
TAAS.
