FWCS Teachers Do It Again with Latest ISTEP Results !!

FWCS Teachers Do It Again with Latest ISTEP Results !
July 12, 2011

FWCS Posts gains, outpaces state in ISTEP growth

Fort Wayne Community Schools posted gains and outpaced the state in terms of growth in nearly every
category and grade level on the 2011 ISTEP+. FWCS saw gains in all four subjects (language arts,
math, science and social studies). Growth at each level ranged from 2 to 7 percentage points. The
only exception for these gains occurred in eighth-grade language arts where passing rates dropped by
just 1 percentage point.

"We know this was a challenging year for our students, staff and parents," Superintendent
Dr. Wendy Robinson said. "But the hard work and dedication shown by everyone is paying off. This
is evident in the scores that we are releasing today. We are not where we want to be yet, but this
continues the positive trend we have seen in the past few years. We will continue to live our Moral
Purpose of Educating all Students to High Standards by being precise in our work, personalizing the
education of each student, while providing a professional learning environment for adults focused on
continuous improvement."

Students passing both the math and language arts portion of the ISTEP+ increased at 32 of the 42
schools tested and stayed even at three. In the district's eight LEAD schools that took ISTEP+
exams, six saw an increase in the percent of students passing both of the major portions of the exam
increase.

"We believe strategies we implemented, including making sure our teachers had on-going
professional development, placing coaches and interventionists in each of our buildings, and using
data to drive decisions, have been key to the success we're seeing. With the deliberate infusion
of the Balanced Scorecard and School Improvement Plan process, we are able to focus on continuous
improvement." Dr. Robinson said. "We will continue those strategies as well as lessons we
have learned through our LEAD Schools process, including making sure principals spends more time in
classrooms and are supporting teachers."