Decorah school district test scores are the envy of other districts

Test results by Decorah students who have taken the Iowa Test of Basic Skills and the Iowa Test of Educational Development continue to be strong.

Decorah School Board members on Monday night were told that usually 85 to 95 percent of students in a grade score in the 41st percentile or above--meaning there are very few students with "deficiencies."

School board member Rick Valley--a former teacher--called the test results "extremely high" and said "other school districts have these levels as their goals."

Decorah students fared best in science tests, then in math and then in reading.  But even reading proficiencies were in the 82 percent to 93 percent range.

School board member Ron Fadness, while noting the low numbers of students with deficiencies, also wanted to see statistics showing the test scores of students who qualified as being "proficient."  School officials say between 35 to 40 percent of students usually score above the 90th percentile.  Fadness says school officials should make sure those gifted and talented students are also getting the instruction they need.