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Lahaina Intermediate School encouraged by first HSA scores

By Staff | Nov 10, 2011

Nakamura

LAHAINA – Wow! What a difference timing makes!

In the first round of HSA testing on Oct. 18-20 for the first two hours of the day, Lahaina Intermediate School students in grades 6-8 took the HSA-Reading. Since it is online, we were able to see the results immediately.

Here are the results: sixth-graders, 41 percent proficient; seventh-graders, 40 percent proficient; and eighth-graders, 42 percent proficient. Breaking down the reports further, scores by grades indicate the following average scores by grade levels: sixth grade, average score of 289; seventh grade, average score of 294; and eighth grade, average score of 294.

Needless to say, the information gathered from the HSA Online Reports is very promising. We are ready to look at individual student scores and the subgroups in which the students are listed to begin planning strategies to help more students reach the proficiency level by the end of this school year.

What is the magic score? 300. So, you see why we are so excited. With the average score of the entire school at 292.3, the strategy used toward the improvement of the final 8 percent to proficiency will need to be carefully planned in order to support those in the bubble, just below the 300 point mark – and there were many – to rise to or beyond the proficiency score of 300.

This brings me to another matter. LIS teachers have been discussing ways to change our school schedule in order to provide common time for planning. Currently, we have no common planning time except on Wednesdays, but that time is dedicated to Teaming and a rotating second meeting schedule. Teachers don’t have adequate time to meet to plan for HSA strategies or for curriculum when they are provided to meet only once a month. By changing the school day schedule, we will have created extra time to meet a number of times per month to develop a better system within our school.

There will be two public forums held through our School Community Council meeting during this month of November. We have a deadline of Dec. 9 to submit our SCC Waiver Request in order to activate the proposed schedule for next school year. The set meetings are Nov. 16 at 3 p.m. and Nov. 22 at 6 p.m. Both meetings will be held in the school library. Please make every effort to come to at least one of these meetings. Your input is very valuable to us. If a change is made, we would like it to be effective and beneficial to all who are affected by it. Flyers will be sent home with more information.

For more information, please feel free to call the school at 662-3965. IMUA!