Neenah students outperformed state averages at all levels in both English/Language Arts and Mathematics as part of the Wisconsin Student Assessment System.
Student achievement results are reported as percentages of students at four proficiency levels: below basic, basic, proficient, and advanced. The table below reveals the performance of Neenah students who were proficient or advanced at all reported grade levels. In each case, the Neenah average exceeds the state average.
Percent proficient or advanced in English/Language Arts (ELA) on Badger, ACT or Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM), 2014-2015
Grade
|
Assessment
|
District
|
State
|
3
|
Badger Exam and Dynamic Learning Maps Exam
|
60.5
|
51.7
|
4
|
Badger Exam and Dynamic Learning Maps Exam
|
63.0
|
50.4
|
5
|
Badger Exam and Dynamic Learning Maps Exam
|
63.7
|
54.5
|
6
|
Badger Exam and Dynamic Learning Maps Exam
|
65.7
|
46.4
|
7
|
Badger Exam and Dynamic Learning Maps Exam
|
58.9
|
51.6
|
8
|
Badger Exam and Dynamic Learning Maps Exam
|
63.7
|
52.7
|
11
|
ACT and Dynamic Learning Maps
|
54.8
|
45.7
|
Percent proficient or advanced in Mathematics on Badger, ACT or Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM), 2014-2015
Grade
|
Assessment
|
District
|
State
|
3
|
Badger Exam and Dynamic Learning Maps Exam
|
63.6
|
51.4
|
4
|
Badger Exam and Dynamic Learning Maps Exam
|
60.9
|
47.6
|
5
|
Badger Exam and Dynamic Learning Maps Exam
|
54.8
|
40.4
|
6
|
Badger Exam and Dynamic Learning Maps Exam
|
68.6
|
41.1
|
7
|
Badger Exam and Dynamic Learning Maps Exam
|
49.6
|
43.0
|
8
|
Badger Exam and Dynamic Learning Maps Exam
|
45.0
|
39.0
|
11
|
ACT and Dynamic Learning Maps
|
44.7
|
35.9
|
For the first time in Wisconsin history, all public school 11th-graders had the opportunity to take the ACT college admissions exam during the 2014-15 school year as part of the more rigorous Wisconsin Student Assessment System. In addition to the results reported by percent proficient in the tables above, ACT provides districts with average scores in each tested area for both the district and the state. The table below reports Neenah’s ACT average scores as well as the state’s average scores. As with the proficiency levels reported above, Neenah students outperformed students across the state in each tested area of the ACT.
ACT Average Scores: Grade 11 Students, 2014-2015
Content Area Tested
|
District Average Score
|
State Average Score
|
English
|
20.2
|
19.0
|
Mathematics
|
20.9
|
20.0
|
Reading
|
21.5
|
20.1
|
Science
|
21.2
|
20.2
|
Composite
|
21.1
|
19.9
|
Source: The ACT Profile Report—District
Test participation is required at a 95% or better participation rate. For grades 3-8, Neenah’s overall district participation rate was 99.33% and for grade 11, the participation rate was 95.91%.
More information about the Badger Exam and Dynamic Learning Maps Exam in Wisconsin:
Both the Badger and Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM) exams, which made up the WSAS for grades 3-8, are aligned with Wisconsin Academic Standards adopted in 2010.
The Badger Exam, an online assessment in English language arts and mathematics, and the DLM were administered last spring to 367,327 students statewide. Just over 1 percent of those students (4,724) took the DLM, which measures the academic progress of students with significant cognitive disabilities. Participation in these two WSAS exams was 97 percent with 10,090 students not tested in English Language Arts and 10,469 not tested in mathematics. Of the not tested students, 7,535 were opted out in both subjects by their parents or guardians.
More information about the ACT assessment in Wisconsin:
Last spring, 65,065 public high school juniors had the opportunity to take either the ACT Plus Writing or Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM), an alternate assessment that measures the academic progress of students with significant cognitive disabilities.
For accountability purposes, the Department?of Public Instruction worked with content experts?across the state to establish cut scores along four?performance categories: advanced, proficient, basic, and below basic. Wisconsin’s English language arts scores are comprised of the English, reading, and writing subtests. While Wisconsin specific, the cut scores generally mirror college readiness benchmarks set by ACT. Wisconsin student proficiency rates showed achievement gaps for various student groups. (See attached table)
Wisconsin's ACT Performance Levels
|
Below Basic
|
Basic
|
Proficient
|
Advanced
|
ELA*
|
1-14
|
15-19
|
20-27
|
28-36
|
Math
|
1-16
|
17-21
|
22-27
|
28-36
|
*comprised of English, reading, and writing subtests
|