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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.”
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 ELA Percentile Rank | LPS MAP Math Percentile Rank | |
|---|---|---|
Grade 4 | 64 | 55 |
Grade 5 | 64 | 52 |
Grade 6 | 62 | 57 |
Grade 7 | 64 | 64 |
Grade 8 | 60 | 60 |
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.
Grade 3 | Grade 4 | Grade 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|
State | 62% | 55% | 57% |
LPS | 63% | 59% | 57% |
Grade 3 | Grade 4 | Grade 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|
State | 58% | 58% | 65% |
LPS | 56% | 55% | 63% |
Grade 5 | |
|---|---|
State | 76% |
LPS | 73% |
Grade 3 | Grade 4 | Grade 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|
State | 55% | 54% | 63% |
LPS | 58% | 57% | 64% |
Grade 3 | Grade 4 | Grade 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|
State | 57% | 65% | 61% |
LPS | 55% | 66% | 59% |
Grade 5 | |
|---|---|
State | 64% |
LPS | 60% |
More information about specific schools can be found on the Nebraska Department of Education’s website.
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.
| 21–22 | 22–23 |
|---|---|---|
State | 46% | 46% |
LPS | 47% | 43% |
21–22 | 22–23 | |
|---|---|---|
State | 44% | 42% |
LPS | 46% | 43% |
21–22 | 22–23 | |
|---|---|---|
State | 48% | 49% |
LPS | 47% | 48% |
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.
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.
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 |
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 |
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.
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.
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% |
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:
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.
Lincoln Public Schools is the second largest public school district in Nebraska, located in the heart of the plains, renowned for its long-standing legacy of educational excellence and tradition of rigorous academic achievement. The school district is growing and thriving, serving over 42,000 students in more than 60 schools and programs.
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