Oxford University School News Update:

Have a safe Labor Day Holiday!

No School Monday!

Lunch Bunch will Begin on Tuesday,September 7th!

Bible Study with Dr. Brooks is every Wednesday at 7:35 a.m. Please remember that your child may attend only if their permission form is turned in.

GO EAGLES!! 

 

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" The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you'll go."

--- Dr. Seuss

OUS Welcomes New Headmaster, Tommy Naron!

  How does OUS measure their students’ academic performance?

At OUS we benchmark our students’ academic performance using a nationally normed test called the Stanford Achievement Test.  This means our students are compared to a norming sample that is representative of a national cross-section of students from all areas of the country, ethnicities, and socio-economic groups and from all types of schools, including public, parochial and private. By comparing our students to national norms instead of state norms, we can benchmark the effectiveness of our curriculum and our teachers compared with other schools across the country, not just in Mississippi.   How did OUS students perform?Our test results were outstanding. Every class at OUS exceeded the national average, and most classes significantly exceeded it. Our students are testing at grade equivalents far above their actual grades. All of this confirms that the educational experience at OUS is providing our students with the tools to compete successfully on a national level.  Evidence of this competitive edge was shown in the recent announcement of Oxford High School students who were chosen as National Merit Finalists. Half the students chosen were OUS graduates.                            

How did OUS students rank on a National Percentile? 

All of our classes exceeded the national average. OUS percentiles show consistent growth as the students move up through grades. By the time OUS students reach the upper grades (3-6), they score 30-34% above the national average for their grades. That these scores represent entire class averages, not just one individual, makes them even more impressive. National percentile ranks indicate the relative standing of a student compared with other students in the same grade in the norm (reference) groups (in this case, the nation) who took the test at a comparable time. The red lines represent the national average–anything beyond the red line is ABOVE the national average. Taking the third grade as an example, the class as a whole scored better than 83% of the rest of the country taking this test.                          

How do OUS students perform on a “Grade Equivalent” basis?

When a student enters OUS in kindergarten, they test right around a “normal” grade equivalent However, the longer they are at OUS and exposed to our curriculum and teachers, their grade-equivalent scores grow. By their final years at OUS they are averaging a grade equivalent of more than three years over their actual grade.            Grade-Equivalent Scores-Estimates that are used to describe a student’s score in terms of a grade or age level in which the student is functioning. Using the third grade as an example, the 3.7 represents our third grade class taking the test in the seventh month of the school year. This means that our third graders mastered the same material you would expect from an average sixth grader in the ninth month of school if he were tested on the same material.  

How does OUS compare academically to the Oxford public schools?

The simple answer is there isn’t a direct comparison because OUS and Oxford public schools take different standardized tests. The public schools in Mississippi take the Mississippi MCT2 test, which was written specifically to test the knowledge of the Mississippi state curriculum. Only public schools take the MCT2. For more information on how the schools in Oxford rank within Mississippi based on these test scores please go to http://www.schooldigger.com/go/MS/schoolrank.aspx  Mississippi public schools do participate in one national test: the National Association of Educational Progress (NAEP). The purpose of the NAEP is to find patterns in learning at the state and national levels. It is a national test given every two years to a random sampling of fourth, eighth, and twelfth graders in public and private schools in each state in various subject areas. The NAEP reports its findings on a national and state level. For more information on how Mississippi ranks on the NAEP test please go to http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/statecomparisons/