Success Stories

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ALTUS PUBLIC SCHOOLS
ALTUS, OKLAHOMA

Motivating

“One of the most important things in a student’s life is getting a driver’s license” says Rebecca York, Altus Public Schools’ assistant superintendent and director of curriculum. “In the state of Oklahoma, if a student isn’t reading at grade level by the time of the eighth gradeCriterion Reference Test (the Oklahoma Primary Academic Student Skills Test, he or she has to prove reading proficiency with another test that’s may be even more difficult. If the student can’t pass those tests, he or she has to wait until the age of 18 before getting a license.”

About 20 students at Altus Junior High had not passed the reading portion of the Oklahoma test and therefore would be ineligible to gain the permit for a driver’s license. “They came to the reading teachers and me to ask what they could do. We gave them the PassKey option.”

Before choosing PassKey, Altus personnel examined many software packages. “Most of them didn’t reinforce what was going on in our classrooms,” York says. “They had lots of bells and whistles, but really weren’t all that educational. PassKey, with its correlation to the Oklahoma standards, promised more.”

“It was certainly an effective way for students to raise their reading scores.”

The 20 students at Altus Junior High worked on the PassKey reading program approximately one to two hours per week for nine months. Prior to using PassKey, the average reading score was in the 50th percentile. To pass the test, students must score in the 70th percentile. After using PassKey, the average score of the Altus students jumped to the 75th percentile.

“PassKey helped our students prepare for any reading test they had to take to get their driver’s licenses,” York says. “It was certainly an effective way for them to raise their reading scores and achieve an important milestone.