Bourke Public School: The results

There are many indicators of performance on which Bourke PS would score highly — attendance rates of students, and staff; classroom and yard behaviour; 'time-out records'; the number and type of 'critical incidents'; and levels of parent satisfaction — but those which are focused on most closely are performance in literacy and numeracy.

Recent Results from the NSW Basic Skills Tests

Literacy, 2000

Year 3 achieved:

• an average score of 48.1 which was below the state average of 50.0.
  
  
• an average score for boys of 49.5 which was just above the state average for boys (49.2)
  
  
• an average score for Aboriginal students of 46.5 which was above the state average for Aboriginal students (46.0); and
  
  
• 70% placed in the top three skill bands compared with 68% state wide.

Year 5

• achieved an average score of 54.6, which was below the state average of 56.2
  
  
• 65% placed in the top three skill bands compared with 76% state wide
  
  
• results for Aboriginal students (51.1) were just below state results (51.5);
  
  
• Year 5 boys performed better than Year 5 girls.

How have our students progressed since they did the Year 3 test in 1998?

Fourteen of the 23 Year 5 students sat the Year 3 test at Bourke Public School in 1998: 85% of these 'matched' students demonstrated progress in line with, or better than, state-wide average progress for students of similar ability; 50% of these 'matched' students demonstrated progress in line with the best statewide progress (top 25%).

Numeracy, 2000

Year 3:

• achieved an average score of 48.1 which was below the state average of 50.0
  
  
• achieved the average score for boys of 52.7 which was above the state average, and
  
  
• Aboriginal students achieved an average score of 46.5 which was above the state average.

Year 5:

• an average score of 58.8, which was just below the state average
  
  
• the boys have an average of 60.5, just above the state average
  
  
• Aboriginal students have achieved an average higher than the state average; and
  
  
• 65% of students were in the top three bands and no students were in the lowest band.

How have our students progressed since they did the test in 1998?

Thirteen of the 23 Year 5 students had sat the Year 3 test at Bourke Public School in 1998: 70% of these students demonstrated progress in line with, or better than, state-wide average progress for students with similar ability.

Students who have a very good attendance rate have demonstrated outstanding progress both in school-based assessment and Basic Skills Tests in literacy and numeracy.