Woodlawn Board Hears Overview Of Aspire Results

WOODLAWN - Woodlawn High School Principal T.J. Hill said he will be making some changes in teaching strategies this year after seeing what he described as some disappointing results from last year's ACT Aspire tests. Hill and new Woodlawn Elementary Principal Heather Cox both went over the results from last year's Aspire tests during the Woodlawn School Board's regular monthly meeting Monday night. The ACT Aspire tests measures student achievement in various subject areas. While both principals gave the school board a general overview of the results, both said they will be providing a more detailed report during the school district's Report to the Public this fall. While Hill was pleased with the high school's performance in English and the growth he saw across the board among the 7th, 8th and 9th grades, he told the board that he was disappointed in their results for upper level math. "Our upper math scores were horrible," he said, noting that the test results indicated 60 percent needed support. "It was humilating to me," he added. To address the issue, Hill said the high school will be pre-testing all students in the essential skills, and then using the results of those pre-tests to identify problem areas that need to be corrected. He said they will be charting and analyzing data throughout the year to guide them in the direction they need to go. He also mentioned that two veteran math teachers, Teresa Jacks and Michael Anderson, have been added to the staff. Both have previously taught at Woodlawn, and Hill said both have experience with a wide range of curriculum for upper level math. "We will be focusing on what the students learn, and not necessarily on what is being taught," Hill told the board. Also during his presentation, Hill noted that the high school students scored well on English but were not as strong in reading. While the two would seem to go hand-and-hand, Hill said...