LPS sees growth, areas to continue improvement

LPS sees growth, areas to continue improvement

Every fall, the Nebraska Department of Education and Lincoln Public Schools releases accountability data to the community. While several pieces of data are released once a year, there are many opportunities throughout the school year to assist schools and teachers in checking student progress, making adjustments and helping students get on track for success.

“I continue to be amazed by our school administrators and teachers who expertly implement strategies to support our students and their academic growth despite the challenges everyone is facing,” said LPS Superintendent Paul Gausman. “It is important to remember that the data provided in these reports are just a snapshot and do not tell the whole story of the teaching and learning happening in our classrooms. I am impressed by the work being done by this school district, our staff, and the continued collaboration and partnership with our families and the community to support our students.”

Associate Superintendent for Teaching and Learning Sarah Salem added, “We are proud of the results we have achieved, and we will also use this as an opportunity to identify areas to target for improvement.”

Measure of Academic Progress (MAP)

Like many other Nebraska school districts, LPS uses Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) Growth tests in reading and math during the fall and winter, and the mandatory statewide NSCAS Growth tests at the end of the school year. The MAP Growth tests provide information about LPS student achievement in reading and math compared to the national norm group. It also gives schools information about individual students and their individual growth between the two MAP testing events.

LPS officials released their Fall 2023 MAP data, and they continue to be above the national average in both reading and math.

LPS MAP Data — Fall 2023

LPS MAP ELA Percentile RankLPS MAP Math Percentile Rank

Grade 4

6455

Grade 5

6452

Grade 6

6257

Grade 7

6464

Grade 8

6060

NSCAS Growth

The Nebraska Department of Education recently released the Nebraska Student-Centered Assessment System (NSCASS) Growth assessments data for all schools in Nebraska. This information is then used as part of the Accountability for a Quality Education System, Today and Tomorrow (AQuESTT) for schools. The purpose of the NSCAS Growth assessments is to determine whether students are proficient on Nebraska state standards in reading, math and science.

Grades 3–8: Lincoln Public Schools NSCAS Growth Assessments for 2022-2023 School Year

2023 Elementary: Percent Proficient

ELA


Grade 3

Grade 4

Grade 5

State

62%

55%

57%

LPS

63%

59%

57%

Math


Grade 3

Grade 4

Grade 5

State

58%

58%

65%

LPS

56%

55%

63%

Science


Grade 5

State

76%

LPS

73%

2023 Middle School: Percent Proficient

ELA


Grade 3

Grade 4

Grade 5

State

55%

54%

63%

LPS

58%

57%

64%

Math


Grade 3

Grade 4

Grade 5

State

57%

65%

61%

LPS

55%

66%

59%

Science


Grade 5

State

64%

LPS

60%

More information about specific schools can be found on the Nebraska Department of Education’s website.

ACT - Juniors

Each spring, all juniors in LPS and across the state take the ACT. This is then used in the AQuESTT accountability model. AQuESTT does not use the composite score, but instead calculates the percent of students who are considered on track or college and career-ready based on their subject-specific test scores.

LPS average composite score remains above the state average composite score.

Class of 2024 — High School Juniors NSCAS ACT Percent Proficient

ELA

21–22

22–23

State

46%

46%

LPS

47%

43%

Math


21–22

22–23

State

44%

42%

LPS

46%

43%

Science


21–22

22–23

State

48%

49%

LPS

47%

48%

Composite Score


21–22

22–23

State

18.6

18.7

LPS

19.2

19.1

More information about specific schools can be found on the Nebraska Department of Education’s website.

ACT - Graduating Seniors

Lincoln Public Schools remains above the state average in composite ACT scores for graduating seniors, and is comparable with the national average of 19.5. It is important to note that only 15 states test over 90% of their students as Nebraska and LPS require this exam for juniors as part of the NSCAS.

ACT scores across the nation were down again to a new 30-year low. In Nebraska, the composite score also declined and is now as low as it has been in over a decade at 19.2, down from 19.4 last year. However, LPS remains steady at 19.5, the same from a year ago.

Class of 2023 — Graduating Seniors ACT Report

National Results


Number

English

Mathematics

Reading

Science

Composite

2021–2022

1,349,644

19.0

19.3

20.4

19.9

19.8

2022–2023

1,386,335

18.6

19.0

20.1

19.6

19.5

State Results


Number

English

Mathematics

Reading

Science

Composite

2021–2022

24,370

18.6

19.1

19.8

19.6

19.4

2022–2023

24,565

18.3

18.9

19.5

19.4

19.2

District Results


Number

English

Mathematics

Reading

Science

Composite

2021–2022

2,780

18.4

19.3

20.1

19.5

19.5

2022–2023

2,813

18.4

19.5

20.0

19.6

19.5

Scores for the graduating seniors cohort are generally higher than the NSCAS Growth Junior scores used for AQuESTT accountability. This is because the ACT can be taken again after the required junior-year assessment when more course work is completed by students, further preparing them for college.

Graduation Rate

LPS and NDE use different formulas for evaluating and assessing the high school graduation rate in the school district. For more than 25 years, LPS has followed the general rule of calculating on-time graduation rates for students who start as ninth graders in the school district and graduate in four years on time.

The Nebraska Department of Education calculates the graduation rate using any student who was enrolled in an LPS high school at any point during high school, even if they enrolled for the last semester of their senior year.

For the class of 2023, the LPS graduation rate stayed at 83.9%, and saw growth in several areas targeted by the All Means All action plan.

LPS District Longitudinal Graduation Rate by Race/Ethnicity 2018–2023

Year

All Students

American Indian

or Alaska Native

Asian

Black/African

American

Hispanic/

Latino/Latina

White

Two or

More Races

2018

84.3%

35.7%

85.1%

73.8%

73.6%

87.8%

80.2%

2019

83.6%

68.8%

86.1%

72.3%

76.0%

87.2%

74.0%

2020

82.5%

57.1%

90.5%

65.5%

67.3%

87.3%

72.5%

2021

81.9%

52.6%

92.5%

64.9%

72.2%

85.8%

71.3%

2022

83.9%

41.4%

90.3%

70.4%

72.1%

88.5%

76.7%

2023

83.9%

57.1%

91.6%

77.1%

71.9%

87.6%

75.5%

AQuESTT State Classifications

Each year, the Nebraska Department of Education releases school accountability data using the AQuESTT Framework. AQuESTT stands for Accountability for a Quality Education System, Today and Tomorrow and includes state classifications and federal designations. Based on several indicators, districts and schools are classified as Excellent, Great, Good, or Needs Support to Improve.

The determination of state classifications is based on the following data:

  • NSCAS-Growth state assessment scores in grades 3-8, in English/language arts and math
  • Student growth, and reduction in non-proficiency from the previous year
  • At high school, percent of students on track to meet college readiness benchmarks on the ACT
  • The percent of students participating in state assessments
  • At the high school level, four-year and extended 7-year graduation rates
  • Reduction of chronic absenteeism
  • Progress toward English Language proficiency (as measured by ELPA)
  • Science proficiency

LPS received an AQuESTT classification of Great for the 2023, which is based on spring testing during the 2022-2023 school year. There were 11 schools that received the classification of Excellent, 20 received Great, 26 received Good, and two schools received Needs Support to Improve.

More information about specific schools can be found on the Nebraska Department of Education’s website.