2003-2004 Elmwood-Murdock Report Card

 

The Elmwood-Murdock Public Schools is proud to provide our district patrons with the fifth annual Elmwood-Murdock

School District Report Card.  Our purpose is to provide district patrons a “snapshot” of our district’s present status relative to students, teachers and the district as a whole.  Due to the fact that school districts in Nebraska use differing measurements in evaluating student, teacher and district status, the report card should not be used to compare school districts.  I would like to remind you the data used to develop this report card is based on data collected during the 2003-2004 school year.

 

As you will see, the Elmwood-Murdock Report Card, we have good reason to be proud of our school district.  Student

achievement levels continue to be high.  Based on comparative measurements, student achievement in the Elmwood-Murdock School District continues to meet or exceed state and national levels.  Graduation rates are high, exceeding the statewide averages and far exceeding the national averages.  Our teaching staff is endorsed at a high level in the subject areas they are assigned.  Financially, our district continues to demonstrate effective and efficient use of district funds in providing a quality educational experience for students.

 

The success of our students, teachers and district reflects support from our patrons, parents and communities who make education a high priority.  We need the continued support of our students, staff, parents, patrons and communities if we are to continue to be successful in providing a quality educational experience for our students. 

 

 

Superintendent                                                              Dan Novak  

 

Elmwood-Murdock Board of Education                       Joyce Vogt

                                                                                          Teresa Pegler

                                                                                          Steve Backemeyer

                                                                                          Jesse Rust

                                                                                          Diann Stille

                                                                    Vince Barnes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the purpose of achievement testing in the Elmwood-Murdock School District, the district utilized the Terra Nova Achievement Test during the 2003-2004 school year for grades 3-8 and grade 11 and the PLAN Test for grade 10.  The purpose of achievement tests is to permit the comparison of students on a local, state and national level.  In Nebraska, six different achievement tests are widely utilized to measure student achievement.  All the tests are different in nature and, as a result, comparisons between schools are difficult.  Additionally, due to the small student sample tested in a district the size of Elmwood-Murdock, the test results can be easily skewed by a larger number of students scoring at either the high end or low end of the testing range.  Therefore, achievement testing in the Elmwood-Murdock School District is utilized as only one piece of information and must be interpreted together with other scores and indicators.  Most importantly, test data helps the district to understand educational patterns and practices.  Based on the analysis of the patterns and practices found in the testing, the district can make meaningful curricular and instructional changes to improve student learning.

 

Based on comparative measures on standardized tests, Elmwood-Murdock students scored better than students nationwide and statewide in reading.  For the purpose of comparative measurement, student scores have been reported according to the percentage of students scoring above the national average of 50%.  An average of seventy percent of Elmwood-Murdock students in grades 3-5, 7-8 and grade 11 scored above the national average on their 2003-2004 standardized reading test.  Comparatively, an average of sixty-three percent of Nebraska students scored above the national average on their 2003-2004 standardized reading test. 

 

Reading 2004 Grades 3-5 Comparison

 

Seventy-one percent of Elmwood-Murdock students in grades 3-5 scored above the national average in reading on their 2003-2004 standardized reading test.  Comparatively, sixty-four percent of Nebraska students in grades 3-5 scored above the national average in reading on their 2003-2004 standardized reading test.

 

 

Reading 2004 Grades 7-8 Comparison

 

Seventy percent of Elmwood-Murdock students in grades 7-8 scored above the national average in reading on their 2003-2004 standardized reading test.  Comparatively, sixty percent of Nebraska students in grades 7-8 scored above the national average on their 2003-2004 standardized reading test.

 

 

 

 

Reading 2004 Grade 11 Comparison

 

Sixty-eight percent of Elmwood-Murdock students in grade 11 scored above the national average on their 2003-2004 standardized reading test.  Statewide, sixty-five percent of Nebraska students in grade 11 scored above the national average in reading on their 2003-2004 standardized reading test.

 

 

 

The graph below, provides information regarding the level of mastery on the state mathematics standards of Elmwood-Murdock students compared to students from across the State of Nebraska. Students in grades 4, 8 & 11 will be assessed each year on their level of mastery of the state mathematics standards with results reported each year in the District Report Card.

 

 

 

During the 2003-2004 school year, students in grades 4, 8, and 11 in Nebraska schools were assessed on their level of mastery of mathematics standards adopted by the Nebraska Department of Education.  Additionally, the assessments used by the districts in measuring student mastery of the adopted standards were assessed.

 

Students in grades 4, 8, and 11 in the Elmwood-Murdock School District performed at a “Good” to “Exemplary” level in mastering the state mathematics standards.  As a district, we should be very proud in the fact the assessments utilized by the district to assess student mastery of the state mathematics standards were rated as being “Exemplary” at all grade levels.

 

District ratings show the quality of the district assessment used to measure student learning on standards and tell how well students performed on standards. The quality of the assessment directly influences the rating of students meeting standards.  The goal for all school districts is to show improvement in both ratings over time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

ANNUAL YEARLY PROGRESS 2003-2004

 

In order for school districts to comply with federal education legislation “No Child Left Behind,” school districts must meet a series of state and federal student performance accountability standards.  I AM VERY PROUD TO REPORT THE ELMWOOD-MURDOCK PUBLIC SCHOOLS MET ALL STATE AND FEDERAL STUDENT PERFORMANCE ACCOUNTABILITY STANDARDS DURING THE 2003-2004 SCHOOL YEAR.  This is the second year in a row that the Elmwood-Murdock Public Schools have met all the student performance accountability standards.  School districts failing to meet these standards are subject to various state and federal sanctions.  It is extremely difficult for a district to maintain the student performance accountability standards and, as a result, districts may not meet all the accountability standards on an annual basis.

 

For the first time during the 2003-2004 school year, statewide writing assessments were administered to all students in grades 4, 8 and 11 to evaluate the writing skills of these students.  The writing assessments were administered to students in February 2004.  Students were given two 30-minute time frames in which to write their responses to a prompt selected by the Nebraska Department of Education.  Students’ papers were then sent to regional scoring centers where they were scored by trained raters according to a trait based writing model.

 

                Nebraska school districts received the results of the statewide testing in May 2004.  For the purpose of comparison, “cut scores” were established to determine the level at which a student was deemed to have the skills required of being a proficient writer.  Eighty-seven percent of Elmwood-Murdock students who participated in the writing assessment were rated as having proficient writing skills.  Comparatively, eighty-three percent of Nebraska students were rated as having proficient writing skills.  

 

 

 

 

Elmwood-Murdock students scored better than students in Nebraska and nationwide in mathematics.  An average of seventy-one percent of Elmwood-Murdock students in grades 3-5, 7-8 and grade 11 scored above the national average on their 2003-2004 standardized mathematics test.  This compares to an average of sixty-six percent of students statewide.

 

Math 2004 Grades 3-5 Comparison

 

Sixty-nine percent of Elmwood-Murdock students in grades 3-5 scored above the national average in mathematics on their 2003-2004 standardized mathematics tests.  Comparatively, sixty-seven percent of Nebraska students in grades 3-5 scored above the national average in mathematics on their 2003-2004 standardized mathematics test.

 

 

 

Math 2004 Grades 7-8 Comparison

 

Seventy-four percent of Elmwood-Murdock students in grades 7-8 scored above the national average in mathematics on their 2003-2004

standardized mathematics test.  Statewide, sixty-three percent of Nebraska students in grades 7-8 scored above the national average in mathematics on their 2003-2004 standardized mathematics test.

 

 

 

 

Math 2004 Grade 11 Comparison

 

Seventy-two  percent of Elmwood-Murdock students in grade 11 scored above the national average in mathematics on their 2003-2004 standardized mathematics test.  Statewide, sixty-seven percent of Nebraska students in grade 11 scored above the national average in mathematics on their 2003-2004 standardized mathematics test.

The ACT Test is a standardized aptitude test administered to students planning to continue their education at a college or university.  Colleges and universities, as a means of predicting how well students are likely to perform in some subsequent educational setting, use standardized aptitude tests, such as the ACT Test.  In essence, the ACT attempts to forecast how well high school students will perform in college.  Over the past five years, students in the Elmwood-Murdock School District, who have taken the ACT college entrance exam, have scored higher on average when compared to students statewide and nationally taking this exam. 

 

In the Elmwood-Murdock School District, seventy-seven percent of the graduating seniors took the ACT college entrance exam in 2003-2004 which is well above the state and national averages.  In 2003-2004, Elmwood-Murdock students scored higher than students statewide and nationally on the ACT college entrance exam.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Students in the high school are administered various tests. For example, during the 10th grade year, the PLAN test from American College Testing (ACT) is administered. During the 2003-2004 school year, twenty-six students in the 10th grade were administered the PLAN test.

 

The chart below reports the test areas comparing the national test averages and the Elmwood-Murdock test averages on the PLAN Test administered during the 2003-2004 school year. The final score, Composite, is a figure that is calculated by using scores from each of the individually tested areas and gives a reasonable "overview" of the tested students.  As you will see, 10^th grade students in the Elmwood-Murdock School District scored well above their peers nationally on the PLAN Test. 

 

TEST AREAS                                            NATIONAL AVERAGE                              ELMWOOD-MURDOCK

 

English                                                                          16.1                                                               18.3

Mathematics                                                                 16.3                                                               18.4

Reading                                                                         15.8                                                               17.9

Science Reasoning                                                         17.4                                                               19.2

Composite                                                                    16.5                                                               18.5

 

 

 

 

 

ENROLLMENT

 

Elmwood-Murdock student enrollment remained nearly constant over the past decade.  Student enrollment reached highs of 407 in 1993, 1996 and again in 2004.  Student enrollment was lowest in 1990 when 380 students were enrolled in the district.  During the 2003-2004 school year, the Elmwood-Murdock Public Schools recorded an enrollment of 407 students.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Elmwood-Murdock Projected Enrollment Totals

 

Projected student enrollments for the next five years raise concern for the district.  According to the district census, the student population will decline to a low of 378 students during the 2008-2009 school year.  Due to the reduced student population, the district would realize potential losses in State Aid which could have implications on the educational program offered students in the district.  In the best interest of the school and community, it is imperative action be taken to increase student population in the district.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

During the 2003-2004 school year, Elmwood-Murdock students attended school 96.32 percent of the time.  Statewide during the 2003-2004 school year, students attended school 95.02 percent of the time.  As a state, Nebraska has ranked in the top ten nationally in attendance over the past decade.  As you can see, students in the Elmwood-Murdock Public Schools attend school above the statewide average.  The Elmwood-Murdock Public School takes student attendance seriously and views student attendance as a key indicator of student academic success.

 

 

 

 

The Elmwood-Murdock Public Schools graduation rate for 2003-2004 was 100 percent.  Statewide, 87.48 percent of Nebraska 12^th graders graduated during the 2003-2004 school year.  Nebraska ranks in the top five states in the nation in graduation rates for high school seniors.  The Elmwood-Murdock Public Schools are very proud of the 100 percent graduation rate recorded for the 2003-2004 school year.

 

 

 

The Elmwood-Murdock Public Schools had a dropout rate of zero percent for the 2003-2004 school year.  As a state, Nebraska had a dropout rate of 1.92 percent during the 2003-2004 school year.  When compared to other states, Nebraska has one of the lowest dropout rates among the fifty states.

 

Subject-Endorsed Teachers

 

The Elmwood-Murdock Public Schools is proud to have 97.72% of their high school core courses taught by teachers who majored in the subjects they teach.  As you can see, this ranks above the statewide average of 92.97% in employment of subject endorsed teachers.  Research indicates student achievement is enhanced when subject endorsed teachers are in the classroom instructing students.