By Pete Kendall/reporter@trcle.com

Joshua ISD students continued to excel on state-mandated TAKS tests this spring, with 100 percent of students in six elementary school categories meeting or exceeding the state passing standard.

The scores are preliminary. Final results will be released by the state in July or August, but school board President Ronnie Galbreath is smiling.

“We have quality administrators, quality teachers and quality kids doing quality things,” he said. “The parents have really helped us, too. We have a plan, it’s working, and everybody is on the same page. That part is very important. Everybody is focused on the same target, providing a quality education for every kid.

“If you go from one elementary school to the next, the same things are being taught at the same time. We’re working at academics very hard. It’s not just one campus. It’s all campuses.”

At North Joshua Elementary, the 100 percentiles were in third-grade reading, fourth-grade writing and fifth-grade math.

At Elder Elementary, the 100s were in fifth-grade science and sixth-grade reading.

At Plum Creek Elementary, the 100 percentile was in sixth-grade reading.

Ninety or more percent of students in every category at North Joshua met or exceeded the state average.

Percentiles were 99 in third-grade math, 92 in fourth-grade reading, 98 in fourth-grade math, 98 in fifth-grade reading, 98 in fifth-grade science, 97 in sixth-grade reading and 99 in sixth-grade math.

Eighty or more percent of students in every category at Elder met or exceeded the state average. Percentiles were 93 in third-grade reading, 83 in third-grade math, 91 in fourth-grade reading, 86 in fourth-grade math, 91 in fourth-grade writing, 99 in fifth-grade reading, 91 in fifth-grade math and 96 in sixth-grade math.

At Plum Creek, 80 or more percent of students in nine of 10 categories met or exceeded the state average. The exception was 71 percent of students in third-grade math.

At Caddo Grove Elementary, 80 or more percent of students in seven of 10 categories met or exceeded the state average. The exceptions were 62 percent in third-grade math, 77 percent in fourth-grade reading and 76 percent in fourth-grade math.

At Staples Elementary, 80 or more percent of students in nine of 10 categories met or exceeded the state average. The exception was 73 percent in third-grade math.

Overall at the elementary level, 90 percent of students in seven of 10 categories met or exceeded the state average. The exceptions were 80 percent in third-grade math, 89 in fourth-grade reading and 87 in fourth-grade math.

Also overall at the elementaries, 57 percent of students were rated commended in sixth-grade reading, 52 percent in fifth-grade science and 50 percent in sixth-grade math. Commended means the student performed at a level considerably above the state passing standard.

At Loftin Middle School, 80 percent or more of students met or exceeded the state average in six of seven categories. The high was 99 percent in eighth-grade reading. The low was 79 percent in eighth-grade science. Sixty-nine percent were commended in eighth-grade social studies.

At Joshua High School, 80 percent or more of students met or exceeded the state average in eight of 10 categories. The highs were 94 percent in 10th-grade social studies and 11th-grade — exit level — English language arts. The low was 75 percent in 10th-grade science. Fifty-nine percent were commended in 11th-grade social studies.

Outsiders may once have perceived Joshua to be simply a geographical stepping stone between Burleson and Cleburne. No more, Galbreath said.

“The three schools used to be in the same [UIL] district, which made it easy to compare them. But we’re growing. We’re doing a lot of positive things. The city is doing great things, too. We’re all working together, and it’s a pleasure to serve the people in the community.”