The Alaska Policy Forum has released online maps visually depicting school test results from the recently released Performance Evaluation for Alaska’s Schools, or PEAKS. The PEAKS assessment is a general overview of public student performance at grade-level standard for English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics.
Two maps are available, one for Anchorage schools and a second with all other Alaska statewide schools. Using simple color coding, the maps show the average of the ELA and Math scores for the percentage of students testing below proficient.
“These assessment results are a valuable and informative tool,” said Bethany Marcum, Executive Director of the Alaska Policy Forum. “The results of the PEAKS assessments, while available on the state’s website, are not easy for parents and community members to access. The Alaska Policy Forum endeavors to make government more transparent and we believe that showing these results graphically is very important for parents and all Alaskans. We’ve made it substantially easier for the public to see how Alaska’s public schools are performing.”
The PEAKS assessment was administered in the spring of 2017 statewide to grade 3 – 10 students. Per the Alaska Department of Education & Early Development, the PEAKS assessment, “provides information to parents, educators, policy makers, communities, and businesses about how Alaska’s schools and districts are performing.”
To view the maps, click here:
Media coverage
NBC 2 KTUU Anchorage: https://www.ktuu.com/content/news/MAP-Most-Alaskan-schools-below-proficiency-in-PEAKS-451529553.html
Fox 4 KTBY Anchorage: https://www.youralaskalink.com/news/new-peaks-map-gives-visual-to-education-failures/article_9a35b09e-b619-11e7-b002-0f6506ac9c73.html
KBBI Kenai: https://kbbi.org/post/state-test-shows-room-improvement-kenai-peninsula-schools