AUBURN — Test scores for Auburn schools show not enough students are where they should be, or are not proficient at their grade level, according to a report given to the School Committee on Wednesday night.

Districtwide test data show that in reading, 54 percent of Auburn students were proficient in the fall of 2012, and 64 percent were proficient this past spring.

In math, 64 percent were proficient last fall, and 74 percent were proficient this past spring, curriculum director Shelly Mogul said.

Ideally, 80 percent of Auburn students should be proficient at all grade levels, Mogul said. “We’re clearly not there yet.”

In recent years, Auburn scores have been “stuck around 65 to 70 percent,” Mogul said.

That’s a big reason, she said, that the district applied for a federal Race to the Top grant to improve learning, and is implementing customized learning. It’s also why three years ago the School Department started providing iPad tablet computers to kindergarten students. The goal of that program, which now also provides iPads to students in grades one and two, is to have 90 percent of third-graders proficient by the end of next year, a big jump from current numbers.

Test data distributed Wednesday was not broken down into grades, so it wasn’t clear how close the iPad students are to the 90 percent goal. A report on that will be given at the Oct. 23 meeting, Superintendent Katy Grondin said.

Looking at individual schools, there are gaps with the number of students proficient at their grade levels.

Among the lowest scoring was Washburn Elementary. In reading, 42 percent of students were proficient in last fall’s test scores, 61 percent proficient this past spring. In math, the proficiency percentage was 56 percent last fall, 74 percent this past spring.

That compares to Fairview Elementary. In reading, the proficiency percentage was 57 percent last fall, 73 percent this past spring. In math, the proficiency rate was 66 percent last fall, 84 percent this past spring.

Washburn, a school with a higher number of students from lower-income families, has been identified as a “priority school” because of lower test scores, Mogul said. It’s not yet clear what that category means, but it may mean some help and intervention to improve student learning.

Overall, one big problem, Mogul said, is summer learning loss, especially students from poorer families. The federal grant Auburn has applied for proposes to reduce summer learning loss with a multitude of programs.

At Edward Little High School, test scores showed between 59 to 61 percent were proficient in reading last fall and this past spring; and 64 percent were proficient in math both last fall and this past spring.

At the Auburn Middle School, between 57 and 60 percent of students were proficient in reading last fall and this past spring. In math, 63 percent were proficient last fall, 68 percent proficient this past spring.

School Committee members weren’t happy with what they were hearing. Talking about the middle school numbers, “the reality is we still have 40 percent who didn’t make proficiency,” William Horton said. That’s a lot of students “who didn’t get the education they needed in elementary school to pass this test,” he said.

“What are we as a board going to do about that group of kids who are not getting the education they need? he asked. That’s the challenge.”

Mogul agreed, saying the data “pains us.” That is exactly why the district is doing the work it’s doing, she said.

Grondin: Charter schools costing Auburn $55,000

AUBURN — Superintendent Katy Grondin told the School Committee on Wednesday night that seven students are attending charter schools, most of them at Baxter Academy for Technology and Science in Portland.

That means Auburn schools are losing $55,000 that wasn’t budgeted, Grondin said.

A new state law passed under Gov. Paul LePage’s administration provides public funding for private charter schools; state and local tax dollars follow the students to the charter schools.

Grondin said she’s talking to local legislators, including Sen. John Cleveland, D-Auburn, and education officials about charter school funding and how it’s hurting public schools. Other public schools are also being hit, including Poland and Lewiston.

“Skowhegan’s losing $800,000 a year,” Grondin said.

Committee member Bonnie Hayes said she doesn’t believe the community understands that charter schools “are costing school districts money.”

Grondin said she’d keep members updated.

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