Cobb ITBS Scores Top National Averages, Improve at Every Grade Level
Cobb County students surpassed national averages on the fall administration of the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) and improved at every grade level tested, according to recently released results. The school district administered the ITBS to students in grades 3, 5, and 8 during September. Cobb third graders had a composite score average of 71st percentile, which means they scored equal to or better than 71 percent of all other third grade students who participated in the ITBS nationwide. Composite scores for fifth graders ranked in the 68th percentile nationally, while eighth graders scored in the 60th percentile. These scores reflect an increase over last year’s scores at all three grade levels.
The purpose of the ITBS is to obtain information about how the performance of Cobb students compares with that of other students across the nation. While the District concentrates most of its testing resources and attention on the high-stakes statewide Criterion Reference Competency Test (CRCT), the ITBS still provides valuable data about how Cobb students compare nationally, and in what specific areas students may need additional help. ITBS results are particularly helpful in identifying reading or math skills where students may need additional instruction. By administering the test in the fall, teachers then have time to work with students before spring CRCT testing begins.
Core subjects tested by the ITBS include reading, math, and language arts. In Cobb County, third graders performed best in math where they scored in the 69th percentile, an increase of five percentage points from last year. Although not a part of the core total, science scores for third grade students increased from the 65th percentile last year to the 68th percentile this year. Scores in the core subject areas for Cobb fifth graders were higher than last year, with math scores ranking in the 67th percentile, an increase of three percentage points. Scores for eighth grade students in Reading were up one percentage point from last year to the 57th percentile, while Language Arts scores remained unchanged at the 58th percentile. The only decline at any grade level or in any subject occurred in eighth grade math, which fell one percentage point to the 59th percentile.
A few schools showed notable improvement over 2006. Five elementary schools saw increases in percentile rank at the third grade of greater than 10 percentage points. Third graders at Powers Ferry Elementary School raised the school’s composite score from last year’s 33rd percentile, to the current 56th percentile, an increase of 23 percent. Fifth grade students at Bryant Elementary pushed the school’s composite score to the 54th percentile, from last year’s 40th – a gain of 14 percentage points. “I’m impressed with the performance of our students across the board,” said Superintendent Fred Sanderson. “The increase in scores is good to see, and it is also encouraging that our students continue to surpass the national averages in every subject and at every grade level. The ITBS provides great data for our teachers to use as they prepare students for the critical CRCT in the spring, and shows us which areas – such as 8th grade math – that may need more attention.”
The ITBS is a norm-referenced test that ranks student performance according to percentiles. For example, a student in the 75th percentile scored equal to or better than 75 percent of all students across the nation who participated in the ITBS at the same grade level. Also reported are grade equivalents, or GE scores. The numbers in the GE score that come before the decimal represent the grade level of the student’s performance, while the digits that follow the decimal represent the month within the grade. A GE score of 5.2 means the student’s performance was similar to that expected of a fifth grader taking the same test during the second month of school.
