77 percent of Nebraska students met or exceeded standards on statewide reading tests last year.
The Nebraska Department of Education says 71 percent of students met or exceeded standards on math tests, and 72 percent did so on science exams. In OPS, 63 percent of students tested in reading met or exceeded state standards, up from 52-percent in 2009-10, the first year of testing on that subject.
Dr. ReNae Kehrberg, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment, says OPS teachers deserve much of the credit for the improved test scores.
"We know it’s the hard work of our teachers in the classroom that make the difference in student achievement going up. And all credit is always reflected back on an individual classroom teacher who rolls up her or his sleeves and determines specifically how they can improve their instruction based on students’ learning needs."
Kehrberg says school principals and the district’s academic achievement plan are also to credit for the increase in scores. Math scores are up 10 percent and science scores up 7 percent in OPS since the testing began. Math testing was added in 2010-11, and science in 2011-12.
The Nebraska Department of Education says 445,000 state tests were given in 2013-14.