The results are in from the proficiency tests that gauge Nevada's students, and it's mostly good news.
Washoe County schools saw gains in most categories across the board. Scores were up nearly six percent overall in math, and four percent overall in both reading and science.
Although there were some categories that saw drops, district administrators said they are happy with the results.
"It just made me optimistic that we're on the right path," WCSD Superintendent Pedro Martinez said. "We are in our third year of the strategic plan."
"We have consistency in our plan, we have consistency in our expectations, and we're not going backward," WCSD School Board President Ken Grein said.
Every year Nevada's third through eighth graders take the Criterion Reference Tests, or the CRTs, which measure proficiency in math, reading, and science. The tests also show how the students, the schools, the districts, and the state overall are performing year over year.
This past year, 100 percent of Washoe County middle schools improved their scores in reading and math, and the majority of elementary schools did as well. However, the district did see small drops in overall proficiency for sixth graders. And some risk groups also saw lower scores, like racial minorities, Special Education students, and English Language Learners.
Martinez said those achievement gaps will be a priority going into the new school year.
"The only thing that can slow us down is resources," Martinez said, "so I want to make sure that we are advocating in Carson City. I want our community to be there with me, because we know what we need to do."
Martinez said in the days ahead they will be looking at the schools that performed better on the CRTs to try to learn their methods and spread them to the lower performing schools.
Written by Arianna Bennett
