Local students excel during Gateway exams
Local high school students have proved their competency in several core subjects, posting high pass rates on all three of the newly instituted state Gateway exams.
The students scored the highest on the Gateway science exam, which saw 98 percent meet the passing requirements, while 87 percent passed the Gateway math and language arts exams.
“We are extremely pleased with our Gateway results,” said Dianna Zadeh, the school system’s Director of Testing, ESOL and Equity. “Anything above 80 is great and 98 is exceptionally outstanding.”
She added the results are all the more impressive when considering all students, including those in special education, as well as English language learners, took the exams – with no exemptions.
Instituted last year by the General Assembly as a way to raise the academic bar and increase accountability within Tennessee schools, the Gateway exams were taken by students across the state earlier this month. Beginning with this year’s sophomore class, passing the exams in the three core subjects – algebra, biology and English II – is required to graduate with a regular education diploma.
Zadeh credited this graduation requirement, as well as a requirement to make the students’ results count as a portion of their grades, as a major motivation to do well.
The science, or biology I, exam was taken by 427 students. Of these, 271 tested at the advanced level, 148 at the proficient level and eight tested below the proficient level.
A total of 432 students took the Gateway math exam, with 246 scoring in the advanced category, 133 scoring in the proficient category and 53 scoring in the below proficient category.
The language arts, or English II, exam was administered for the first time this year. Of the 407 students who took the exam, 203 tested advanced, 152 tested proficient and 52 tested below proficient.