Grade 8 and 10 readiness tests show mixed results

The fall 2010 results from the EXPLORE and PLAN tests were released today, and there is a bit of progress in some areas compared to last year balanced by stagnation or decay in others.

This first table, taken from the Kentucky Department of Education’s news release, shows the eighth grade EXPLORE scores by subject and test year (testing is done in the fall of the listed year). I shaded drops in scores between 2009 and 2010 in this and the next table in pink when scores dropped. Scores that stayed flat are shaded in yellow, and increases are in green.


It is worth noting that since 2006, eighth grade scores are up across the board, which is good news. Also, in most cases, the 2010 scores are higher than the last national norming sample available for this assessment, which is now a rather stale half-decade old.

Here is the data for the PLAN test, which is administered to 10th grade students.


Scores are also up across the board from 2006, but English decayed slightly between 2009 and 2010.

Sadly, our 10th grade students’ scores in 2010 remain behind the national norms, which, again, are rather stale.

You can access detailed reports, including spreadsheets with individual school scores, here.

I’ll have more on these important tests tomorrow.