100 percent of Orange Beach third-grade students pass ACAP Reading Assessment Test
100 percent of Orange Beach third-grade students pass ACAP Reading Assessment Test
Orange Beach City Schools’ third-grade class earned a passing score on the Alabama Comprehensive Assessment Program (ACAP) Reading test. Each of the third-grade students met or exceeded the benchmark score of 435.
“Sufficiency is described as ‘grade level.’ Orange Beach City Schools leads the state in third-grade reading sufficiency. We have 100% of students reading on grade level, ” said Orange Beach City Schools’ Superintendent Randy Wilkes. “Proficiency relates to a higher functioning level, one that formerly was reflective of the potential to earn a B or better on college entrance courses. The goal of the district is to achieve 80% proficiency in every subject tested in every grade level.”
Even with an 8.4% state-wide improvement in testing performance, Orange Beach City Schools was the only district in Alabama to comprehensively pass the assessment. This accomplishment is significant not only for its statistical impressiveness but also for the security it can provide for the students’ academic future.
“I think that their performance on the ACAP Reading assessment will boost students’ confidence in their reading abilities and enhance collective teacher efficacy, which is something we talked a lot about this year,” said Mary Catherine Law, Orange Beach Elementary School Principal. “Collective efficacy is the belief in each other and the impact we all have on student achievement. State testing affects every single person in the building. I’m just so proud that the efforts of all paid off! These results will certainly enhance our school’s reputation.
“Data drives every decision that we make,” added Law. “This is the first year that our third grade teachers were departmentalized. Students participated in ‘Walk to Reading’ each day and were provided differentiated instruction based on each student’s needs by all four of the third grade teachers. Students were placed in flexible groups based on benchmark data. “Our Reading Coach, Erin Dykes, was also instrumental in helping our students reach this goal. She collaborated with teachers to share best practices and strategies that work.”
The third-grade class was celebrated for their accomplishment at (above) an academic pep rally.