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CHICAGO
(August 28, 2002)
Students in
Archdiocese of Chicago Catholic elementary schools scored as much
as 28 percentile points higher than the national norm in reading,
language and math in standardized, comprehensive, multi-assessment
achievement tests administered earlier this spring in public, private
and parochial schools throughout the country.
"We're
extremely proud of these test results. Whether we look at scores
for the entire system, the City of Chicago, suburban or inner-city
schools, the results indicate that our students are learning and
continually improving," said Nicholas Wolsonovich, Ph.D., superintendent
of the Archdiocese of Chicago Catholic schools. "The scores
validate that our students are understanding and retaining what
they are being taught by our teachers."
Wolsonovich
reported that the third-, fifth- and seventh-grade students enrolled
in the Archdiocese's elementary schools, who took the TerraNova
II test published by CTB-McGraw Hill (California Achievement Tests
Monterey, Calif.), "consistently scored well above the 50th
percentile - the national norm for the test administered in 29 state-wide
programs."
Throughout the
Archdiocese, in the core subject areas of reading, language and
mathematics combined (total score):
- students
scored in the 65th percentile in the third grade, in the 70th
percentile in the fifth grade and in the 72nd percentile in the
seventh grade. These results, Wolsonovich said, mean that 65 percent,
70 percent, 72 percent of the third-, fifth- and seventh-grade
national scores, respectively, were below scores earned by students
in the Archdiocese of Chicago.
Scores in science
and social studies were also above the national norm:
- third-grade
students scored in the 60th percentile in science and in the 66th
percentile in social studies. Fifth-grade students scored in the
62nd percentile in science and in the 66th percentile in social
studies. Seventh-grade students scored in the 63rd percentile
in science and in the 74th percentile in social studies.
"Our students
are learning and continually improving. There is growth at every
level," said Wolsonovich. "An analysis of the test scores
for the seventh grade students over a five-year period, following
the same group of students, reveals that the longer pupils remain
in the Archdiocesan system, the greater are their achievement results."
Test results
for Catholic city schools were:
- Catholic
school students in the city scored overall in reading, language
and mathematics in the 56th percentile in third grade, in the
63rd percentile in the fifth grade and in the 65th percentile
in the seventh grade;
- students
in the 94 inner-city schools that receive financial support from
the Big Shoulders Fund scored in the 45th percentile for third-grade
students; in the 52nd percentile for fifth-grade students; and
in the 55th percentile for seventh-grade students. Seventh-grade
students in schools supported by the Big Shoulders Fund scored
in the 54th percentile in reading, in the 63rd percentile in language
and in the 47th percentile in mathematics.
Other system-wide
test results were:
- seventh-grade
students scored in the 69th percentile in reading, in the 78th
percentile in language and in the 67th percentile in mathematics.
These scores are 19, 28 and 17 percentile points, respectively,
above the national norm;
- fifth-grade
students scored in the 70th percentile in reading, the 73rd percentile
in language and the 64th percentile in mathematics;
- third-grade
students scored in the 61st percentile in reading, the 67th percentile
in language and the 64th percentile in mathematics.
TerraNova was
selected as the mandated Archdiocesan testing and assessment program
because of its focus on national education standards, Wolsonovich
said. Illinois standards and Archdiocesan policy requires testing
in grades three, five and seven; however, some schools test all
grades.
TerraNova is
used by hundreds of school systems and districts throughout the
United States, including educational systems in 29 states, all 272
U.S. Department of Defense schools state-wide and overseas, more
than 60 school districts in Illinois and 40 participating Catholic
dioceses. This is the fifth consecutive year the Archdiocese has
used the test. TerraNova II is an updated version of TerraNova I
and was normed in 2000.
The Catholic
schools in the Archdiocese of Chicago - the largest non-public school
system in the nation - play a critical role in the life of the community
by developing the minds and spirits of students of many races, faiths
and backgrounds in 290 elementary and secondary schools in Cook
and Lake counties. There are more than 6,000 teachers in the Catholic
school system who instill values, teach discipline and achieve strong,
consistent academic results in the Archdiocese of Chicago's 248
elementary and 42 secondary schools.
Editors Note:
Attached is the Archdiocese of Chicago Elementary Schools Spring
2002 TerraNova II Test Results in table format.
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