By most measures, student achievement appears to be on the rise in Mathews County Public Schools.
Superintendent of Schools Dr. David S. Daniel provided a review of the most recent state assessment numbers during this month’s meeting of the Mathews County School Board, which was held on Sept. 17 in the Brooks Auditorium at Thomas Hunter Middle School.
Comparing pass rates among Mathews students in all grade levels between this past school year and 2022-2023, numbers in reading, writing, math and science all showed some improvement, with the only drop occurring in history.
Division-wide, reading went from 71 percent to 79 percent, comparing 2022-2023 numbers to 2023-2024; writing jumped from 64 percent to 79 percent; math went from a 57 percent pass rate to 62 percent, and science went from 61 to 63 percent.
The only dip, 67 percent to 64 percent, took place in history assessments.
Breaking it down by schools, the numbers are similar. At Mathews Elementary, the pass rates for reading, math and history were 76, 77 and 75 percent, respectively; compared to 69, 69 and 82 percent for 2022-2023. Thomas Hunter’s numbers were 79, 58, 63 and 73 for reading, math, science and history; compared to 68, 53, 57 and 69 percent. The numbers for MHS were 88, 80, 58, 63 and 30 percent for reading, writing, math, science and history; compared to 93, 88, 57, 69 and 34 percent in 2022-2023.
Those numbers encompass all grade level and content area state assessments (Standards of Learning assessments and Virginia Alternate Assessment Program assessments) administered last year. They reflect the number of students who pass a given assessment, but does not include the number of students who fail the test, but demonstrate growth.
“The pass rates aren’t where we want them to be,” Daniel conceded. “So, part of our strategic plan and part of our initiatives this year are working to get the pass rates where we want them to be. So, the small victory is looking at are we showing growth in areas. And where we are not showing the growth, going back and doing a dive to figure out what do we need to do differently to ensure that our students are achieving.”
At MHS, “the history number sort of jumps out at you,” Daniel said. Understanding what subjects are tested in and what students are required to take is a piece to keep in mind. In the case of high school history, for diploma requirements, you’re only required to pass one history SOL class. A student may have passed that test in eighth grade, which was at THMS last year. The percentage of students taking that test in high school “is not a broad sampling of our students at Mathews High School.”
Daniel went on to review multiple strategies for improvement, including MTSS (multi-tiered system of supports), school improvement plans, the Virginia Literacy Act, new core instructional materials in K-5, regional math curriculum development, updated master schedules to maximize instructional time, and the ALL In Tutoring program, with state money being used to pay for tutors in the after-school program.
Another big part of improving student success is ensuring attendance and making sure chronic absenteeism rates continue to go down. “We are seeing successes there,” Daniel said.
“We’ve got a serious problem with history,” said school board member Bobby Dobson. He made mention of Constitution Day, which was observed on the day of this month’s school board meeting and was alluded to at the start, with an announcement by chair Dr. Mari Gibbs that someone had donated pocket-sized versions, providing them to all the Mathews students, and the Constitution was incorporated into classroom lesson plans. Judging by the scores, Dobson said, we need to teach the Constitution.
“We’re moving in the right direction,” school board vice chair Linda Hodges said. “I would like us to go faster,” Daniel replied. “But we are making strides and doing things that I think will set us up for success. I anticipate these numbers looking a lot different next year.”