Some local schools posted modest gains in this year's ISTEP-Plus, while some students in certain grade levels slipped.

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Throughout many Lake County school districts, a smaller percentage of fifth- and seventh-graders passed the ISTEP science tests than in 2006.

ISTEP-Plus is a standardized exam given to Hoosier students in grades three through 10.

The test is used to determine which schools make yearly progress as required under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. It also gives teachers and parents an idea of how students are performing.

Administrators caution that ISTEP is just one measure of how students perform.

Merrillville Superintendent Tony Lux said several grade levels in his district struggled on the ISTEP math exam this year.

He said the middle grades -- four through seven -- did well, but a smaller percentage of students in third grade and the upper grades passed the math test this year than in the previous year.

Lux also said the district did not offer summer school this past year because of a $3 million shortfall in the general fund.

"A good part of the slip in achievement results was due to the lack of summer remediation," he said. He said more than 1,000 students would have been eligible to attend summer school.

Elsewhere in Lake County, Maureen Stafford, director of instruction and assessment for Munster schools, said the number of special education students at her schools affected Munster's scores.

Still, the schools saw modest gains at the 10th-grade level in mathematics and in English.

In English, 85 percent of Munster sophomores passed the test, 3 percent more than the previous year. In math, sophomores went up 1 percentage point to 85 percent passing.

Stafford said seventh-grade science scores are an area of concern, and administrators are just beginning to analyze the data.

Liberty Elementary School Principal Debbie Misecko said fourth-graders at the Hobart elementary school made gains this year. She said the greatest challenge is "helping new students catch up."

Tom Cripliver, River Forest Community School Corp. assistant superintendent, said the district made gains across the board in many areas. However, there were some setbacks, including fifth-grade science scores.

Banneker Elementary School in Gary is among only a few region schools in which fifth-grade science scores climbed -- from 79 percentage points to 97 percentage points.

State education officials said there were no changes in the science test between 2006 and 2007.

Crown Point High School Principal Ryan Pitcock told a group of parents meeting at the high school that ISTEP scores are "the best we've done since 2000."

He said sophomores went up in English and math in 2007, with 81 percent passing English and 80 percent passing math. The scores put the high school in line with the top schools in Indiana, Pitcock said.

The Rev. Paul Quanz, Andrean High School principal said Wednesday he had "died and gone to heaven" when he saw the high percentage of his students that passed the tests.

The school's sophomores improved in math and English for 2007, with 93 percent of students passing in both categories.

"We held our own," Quanz said. "I'm pretty proud of that. When you're at the top, it's hard to keep it up there."

Bishop Noll Principal Scott Fech said seventh-graders made a significant jump in math and language arts, with 80 percent passing math in 2007, eight percentage points above the 2006 results. Seventh-graders there passed at rate of 92 percent in math, up from 72 percent last year.

"What is significant for us is that each of our cohorts -- black, white or Hispanic -- all scored well above the state average, regardless of race or socioeconomic status," Fech said.