Middle School News
EXPLORE Test
All 49 eighth grade students at Mounds Park Academy took the EXPLORE test this past April. EXPLORE includes four 30-minute multiple choice tests: English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science. EXPLORE also collects information about students' interests, needs, plans, and selected background characteristics. When I recently received the results, I was excited and yes, proud! While these are results from four tests given on one day, I believe that the EXPLORE is an appropriate assessment and evaluation measure that can provide evidence about a student's learning progress.
A few highlights:
#1 - We had six students earn a perfect score on the English test.
#2 - We had seven students earn a perfect score on the math test.
#3- We had five students earn a perfect score on the science test.
#4 - Nineteen of the forty-nine students had a composite score in the 90th percentile of National Norms. Another way to look at this stat is to say that 40% of our students had a composite score placing them in the 90th percentile nationally.
#5 - When you lower the percentile marker to the 75th percentile, three-fourths (75.5%) of our students scored above that marker.
As the interpretive guide states, "It is important to remember that EXPLORE does not measure everything students have learned in middle school, nor does any particular form of this test measure everything necessary for students to be successful in high school." That said, I am proud of our students, our faculty and our families for the effort and commitment put forth to ensure that every Middle School student at MPA is growing and learning at a high level. It also gives me great confidence that our MPA Middle School is living out its value statement of academic rigor that balances academics, arts, and athletics.
Tony Reimers
PreK-8 Director
