DIXFIELD – The latest round of Maine Educational Assessment testing better pinpointed SAD 21 weaknesses in mathematics in grades three through eight.

“Primarily, the middle school needs to do a lot of work on math,” Superintendent Thomas Ward said Tuesday in his office behind Dirigo High School.

Additionally, directors at Monday night’s school board meeting learned that subsequent analysis of the March 2006 test scores also spurred changes in how math is taught this school year, Ward and Dirigo Middle School Principal Celena Ranger said.

“This is the first year where we’ve got baseline data for grades three through eight, so, now, each year, we can track all these kids. This will work much better,” Ward said.

Previously, the state only tested students in grades four, eight and 11, which, according to Ward, didn’t come close to identifying problem areas. And, last year, the state realigned test standards so new results can’t be compared to those from previous years, Ranger said Wednesday.

“Overall, the scores showed we’re doing well in reading and science, but our weak areas are in math. We still need to do work at the middle school,” Ward said.

Specifically, seventh grade. Of the 72 students tested in math, 49 percent didn’t meet state standards. The district scored 13 points below the state average of 740.

“That points it out glaringly,” Ward said.

Identified problem areas are: shape and size, mathematical decision making, numbers and operations, and constructed responses and short answers.

Part of the overall problem students had with test questions involved semantics.

“A lot of times, it’s the way the question is asked. Some asked (the test giver) to restate it, some didn’t. They just gave up. They tried to solve it, but if they didn’t understand it, they just moved on,” Ward said.

Addressing that issue, instructors have been asked to use the same language as used for MEA test questions, to better familiarize students with the exams. Additionally, teachers will use released MEA math questions in their instruction, Ranger said.

“I’m not blaming it all on semantics. We do recognize areas where we haven’t put enough emphasis on, and that’s the bottom line,” Ward said.

Three years ago, when Ward became superintendent, algebra was pushed down from ninth to eighth grade, allowing students to get into more math classes.

“Philosophically, we believe eighth-graders are ready for it,” he said. Test results appeared to indicate that.

Of the 80 eighth-graders tested, 10 percent exceeded state standards, 55 percent met them, 35 percent partially met them, and 5 percent didn’t. The eighth-grade district performance score was only seven points below the state average of 840.

Sixth-grade students did slightly better than seventh-graders, scoring 11 points below state average.

Fifth-grade students at Dirigo Middle School scored 10 points below the state average of 543, as did fifth-graders at Peru Elementary School.

To address deficiencies, Ranger said teams of instructors have been restructured so that teachers are instructing content area in which they are most qualified.

Both Ward and Ranger said middle school students would also be given Northwest Evaluation Assessment tests three to four times throughout the 2006-07 school year. Results will then be used to guide instruction.

Additionally, teachers will pre- and post-test math instruction units, and ensure that pre-algebra and algebra classes are actually preparing students for high school mathematics. High school Scholastic Aptitude Test results haven’t come in yet.

“We do have a good plan, so, we’ll see how well it works,” Ward said.