Sigourney Schools show success on state assessments

Sigourney, Iowa- Sigourney Schools are showing significant progress in state assessment scores, according to information presented at the June 13 Sigourney School Board meeting. According to the results, Sigourney Schools showed strong proficiency above the local and state average nearly across the board in Math and Reading. Sigourney Schools Superintendent Dave Harper attributed that success to professional learning communities that teachers participate in throughout the school year.

“Our professional learning communities, they’ve really spent the last two to three years of getting together and productive collaboration time. We’re talking about looking at assessment scores, teaching strategies, and seeing where kids are missing the mark. That’s a play into it,” Harper said.

Sigourney students showed an average proficiency of 86% in mathematics. Grade 4 showed the highest proficiency at 97%, while grades 5, 8, and 9 showed the lowest at 79%. In addition, all grade levels showed proficiency above local and state levels. Harper said the results were a strong endorsement of the work Sigourney teachers are putting into math.

“That tells me our math program is solid K-12,” Harper said.

Reading programs in Sigourney also showed strong results, with the average proficiency being 81%. Grade 9 was the highest in the district at 95%, while grade 7 showed the lowest at 70%. In reading, grades 4, 5, and 7 narrowly scored below the state average, but scored above local averages when compared to other districts in the area. 

“This is us being measured against our neighbors,” Harper said.

He added that the high proficiency levels in early high school students was very encouraging.

“That’s telling me that they’re getting ready for after post-secondary. They’re going to be able to function, going to be able to read,” Harper said.

For more on this story and others, catch the June 20 edition of the News-Review.