This year a district-wide math and reading test was implemented in Oak Harbor schools for first through ninth graders. The school board members hope the assessment, commonly known as the STAR progress report, will help teachers better understand their new classes’ skill level come fall and therefore enable them to teach more effectively.

The STAR is a 15 to 20 minute skills-based computer test that is administered to students in the fall, winter and spring. The results are reported as percentiles and represent the percentage of students scoring below Oak Harbor students for that testing period. For example, if a student scored in the 63rd percentile that means 63 percent of students nationwide scored below him or her.

Teachers are able to view individual student scores and pinpoint which concepts the students are struggling with. For example, the STAR math results show teachers how proficient a given student is in different subject areas such as decimals, fractions, addition, subtraction and geometric problems. This information allows teachers to tailor their students’ learning and helps them determine if a particular student may need extra help.

Additionally, since student scores follow them throughout their schooling, teachers can assess their incoming students’ skill sets prior to September and adjust their lessons accordingly.

“I think that’s pretty powerful,” Assistant Superintendent Lance Gibbon said. “Just the fact that teachers are measuring it and looking at student progress is a huge step ahead from where we’ve been.”

Gibbon presented the STAR assessment to the school district’s board members on Monday, and most seemed enthusiastic about the program.

“I think it’s a huge leap forward,” board member Peter Hunt said. “The teachers are already using this information effectively to identify where the problems are and to address them.”

This spring, 56 percent of Oak Harbor students scored at or above the 50th percentile in math, which Gibbon considered extremely positive news.

On the reading portion, which focuses on comprehension and vocabulary skills, 53 percent of students scored at or above the 50th percentile.

The margin of error for test results is plus or minus five. Gibbon said that the newness of the test coupled with its time restriction might account for some of the error. As time goes on and the district is provided with more data points, trends will be more meaningful.

Teachers will receive additional training about how to best integrate the STAR results into their plans this fall.

Parents should receive their child’s STAR scores along with his or her report cards. Results for each grade district-wide can be found on the school district’s website.