DECADE OF DECLINE UPDATE: MOST RECENT STATE DATA (2022) SHOWS SOME IMPROVEMENT IN THE LAST YEAR, BUT OTHER AREAS CONTINUE TO DECLINE IN ROCKWOOD
IMPORTANT EDITOR'S NOTE:
YES, you CAN compare these scores from year to year. The data people with the state tell us that every year when we talk to them about the most recent data. More on that is at the bottom of this post.
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Low standardized test scores from spring 2021 were generally excused as a result of Covid restrictions and virtual learning that took place during part of that school year.
After a full year of in-person learning last year, there were hopes for 2022.
The results were mixed.
The results were mixed.
MOST NOTABLE: 8th grade math and Algebra II.
Only 25.8% of students in 8th grade math scored proficient or above in 2022; an improvement from 18.8% the year before.
Only 23.8% of the students that took the Algebra II exam scored proficient or above. Rockwood has an explanation, but, it's the 4th straight decline in proficiency.
More detail below.
ALL AREAS STILL WORSE THAN A DECADE AGO
Even with some improvement, in every core subject, in every grade, the percentage of Rockwood students that is proficient or above is still below where it was years ago.
Below are 18 line charts that illustrate 10 years worth of data from Missouri's Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). The years are 2012-2022. The charts show the percentage of students that scored proficient or above on the standardized tests the state gives each year.
The charts are courtesy: St. Louis County Family Association and intended to be a visual illustration of the data points, as opposed to a scientific statistical tool. More information about how the charts were formed is at the bottom of this post.
Note: EOC means End of Course and is the name of the test the state gives to high school level students through the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP).
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS (ELA)
3RD GRADE
58.4% of students in 3rd grade English Language Arts (reading and writing), scored proficient or above in 2022.
The percentage has declined every year since 2016, for a total decline of 22.3 points.
Overall, the percentage is 7.1 points lower than it was ten years ago.
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| 58.4% of students in 3rd grade English Language Arts (reading and writing), scored proficient or above in 2022. Data Source: DESE |
4TH GRADE
63.5% of students in 4th grade English Language Arts (reading and writing) scored proficient or above in 2022. It's down from the year before and is down a total of 18.8 points from a high in 2017.
It's also 9.9 points lower than it was ten years ago.
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| 63.5% of students in 4th grade English Language Arts (reading and writing) scored proficient or above in 2022. Data Source: DESE |
5TH GRADE
63.4% of students in 5th grade English Language Arts (reading and writing) scored proficient or above in 2022.
That percentage was up a bit from the year before, but, is down 19.7 points from a high in 2016 and is 11.4 points lower than it was ten years ago.
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| 63.4% of students in 5th grade English Language Arts (reading and writing) scored proficient or above in 2022. Data Source: DESE |
6TH GRADE
56.2% of students in 6th grade English Language Arts (reading and writing) scored proficient or above in 2022, another decline from the year before.
The percentage of students proficient or above is down 23.4 points from a high in 2017.
It's also 15.4 points lower than it was ten years ago.
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| 56.2% of students in 6th grade English Language Arts (reading and writing) scored proficient or above in 2022, another decline from the year before. Data Source: DESE |
7TH GRADE
56.3% of students in 7th grade English Language Arts (reading and writing) scored proficient or above in 2022, after declining every year since 2017 for a total decline of 21.3 points.
The percentage is also 18.3 points lower than it was ten years ago.
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| 56.3% of students in 7th grade English Language Arts (reading and writing) scored proficient or above in 2022, after declining every year since 2017 for a total decline of 21.3 points. Data Source: DESE |
8TH GRADE
61.7% of students in 8th grade English Language Arts (reading and writing) scored proficient or above in 2022.
That percentage has been declining every year since 2017, for a total decline of 15.3 points.
It's also 10.3 points lower than it was ten years ago.
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| 61.7% of students in 8th grade English Language Arts (reading and writing) scored proficient or above in 2022. Data Source: DESE |
9TH GRADE (E1)
9th grade English Language Arts (E1) is not shown here because the state had incomplete data.
10TH GRADE (E2):
63.7% of high school students in E2 (reading and writing) scored proficient or above in 2022.
That's down again from the year before, and down 25.8 points from a high in 2016.
It's also 25 points lower than it was ten years ago.
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| 63.7% of high school students in E2 (reading and writing) scored proficient or above in 2022. Data Source: DESE |
MATH
3RD GRADE
54.6% of students in 3rd grade math scored proficient or above in 2022.
It improved from the year before, but, is down 21.1 points from a high in 2016 and is 17 points lower than it was ten years ago.
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63% of students in 4th grade math scored proficient or above in 2022. It improved from the year before, but, is down 13 points from a high in 2016 and is 7.7 points lower than it was ten years ago.
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| 63% of students in 4th grade math scored proficient or above in 2022. Data Source: DESE |
5TH GRADE
60.1% of students in 5th grade math scored proficient or above in 2022.
It jumped from the year before, but is down 17.2 points from a high in 2013.
It jumped from the year before, but is down 17.2 points from a high in 2013.
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| 60.1% of students in 5th grade math scored proficient or above in 2022. Data Source: DESE |
58.5% of students in 6th grade math scored proficient or above in 2022.
That's an increase from the year before, but is down 14.1 points from a high in 2014.
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| 58.5% of students in 6th grade math scored proficient or above in 2022. Data Source: DESE |
7TH GRADE
It went up a bit from the year before, but is down 23.7 points from a high in 2012.
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| 52.2% of students in 7th grade math scored proficient or above in 2022. Data Source: DESE |
8TH GRADE
Only 25.8% of students in 8th grade math scored proficient or above in 2022.
It went up from the year before, but, is down 39.4 points from a high in 2012.
Note: This is only grade level math and does not include 8th graders who took Algebra I.
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| Only 25.8% of students in 8th grade math scored proficient or above in 2022. Data Source: DESE |
ALGEBRA I
67.4% of students that took the state Algebra I exam scored proficient or above in 2022.
It's a jump from the year before, but, is down 16.8 points from a high in 2016 and is 12.5 points lower than it was ten years ago.
Note: The 10 point jump from the year before isn't a true reflection of progress in that subject. The data includes more advanced Algebra II students, who took the less advanced Algebra I exam they had missed due to Covid.
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| 67.4% of students that took the state Algebra I exam scored proficient or above in 2022. Data Source: DESE |
ALGEBRA II
Just 23.8% of the students that took the state's Algebra II test scored proficient or above in 2022.
Rockwood says it's that low because a lot fewer students took the test that year, but, the percentage had already been declining every year for the last 5 years, for a total drop of 69 points since 2017.
Note: Fewer students took the test because, as stated in the previous graph description, most instead took the less advanced Algebra I test, which they had missed, due to Covid, in 2020.
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| Just 23.8% of the students that took the state's Algebra II test scored proficient or above in 2022. Data Source: DESE Note: DESE did not provide data for 2012 and 2013. |
SCIENCE
Missouri gives state standardized science tests to 5th graders and 8th graders and gives the EOC exam after Biology I in high school.
5TH GRADE
62.5% of students in 5th grade science scored proficient or above in 2022.
It increased slightly from the year before, but is down 17.5 points from a high in 2013.
It increased slightly from the year before, but is down 17.5 points from a high in 2013.
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| 62.5% of students in 5th grade science scored proficient or above in 2022. Data Source: DESE |
56.8% of students in 8th grade science scored proficient or above in 2022.
After staying stagnant from the year before, that percentage has declined every other year for the last 8 years, and is down 12.7 points from a high in 2014.
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| 56.8% of students in 8th grade science scored proficient or above in 2022. Data Source: DESE |
BIOLOGY I
50.3% of students in Biology I scored proficient or above in 2022.
That percentage has declined every year since 2017 and is down a total of 36.2 points from a high in 2015.
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| 50.3% of students in Biology I scored proficient or above in 2022. Data Source: DESE |
COMPARE OR NOT?
The state and Rockwood administrators have stated parents shouldn't compare data from year to year due to changes in testing that occurred over the years, Covid, and, other factors.
That's true if you are looking for a cause that made the scores go up or down.
As we stated above, we have spoken with people in the data department at DESE (Dept of Elementary and Secondary Education) every year. They tell us, every year: regardless of the disclaimer, the data still shows how students performed, each year, with the way the state tested them. They also tell us it is reasonable to compare proficiency percentages to see how students are performing each year.
You can read more about MAP testing here.
THE CHARTS
The state's data is what you see illustrated in the charts above. The St. Louis County Family Association (SLCFA) got the data from Missouri's Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, in a spreadsheet.
The SLCFA then used a tool from Zoho Analytics to create the line charts as a way to visually illustrate the 10 years worth of MAP score data. 10 years is a more thorough data set, compared to the 5 years worth that is typically available on DESE's website and the 3 years that Rockwood typically uses to compare student performance.
As stated above, the data shows the percentage of students that scored proficient or above in every grade and every subject the state tests, going back to 2012.
Again, the line charts are not intended to provide scientific, statistical analysis. They're just a visual to help illustrate the raw data.
PREVIOUS DATA
This report shows the decline for each grade throughout Rockwood. Last year, we showed you the data by school. You can see it here.
To see one year further back than we have in this report: decline from 2011-2021.
EDITED
This post previously contained charts that only showed raw data points. The St. Louis County Family Association updated the charts to show the uniform range from 0 to 100, so we have updated the charts here, accordingly.