Six Takeaways from Nebraska’s High School Assessments
October 10, 2019
Last week, “the Nebraska Department of Education released test scores and performance ratings for more than 1,100 schools and 244 districts.” Here, Joe Dejka highlights six key takeaways. Test scores did not change much—with proficiency scores in English language arts and math both up by 1 percent to 52 percent total in both subject areas. Meanwhile, poverty rates have increased statewide over the past decade, with some communities experiencing poverty growth much faster than others. Still, most Nebraska schools statewide—three-quarters to be exact—are rated as “great” or “good,” with 12 percent rated “excellent” and 13 percent rated “needs improvement.” In all, to “comply with the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, the state identified 364 schools for performance concerns in various student subgroups.”