CONTACT:
Doxie McCoy (EOM) (202) 727-9691; [email protected]
Briant Coleman (OSSE) (202) 654-6120; [email protected]
Melissa Salmanowitz (DCPS) (202) 535-1096; [email protected]
Tomeika Bowden (PCSB) (202) 328-5543, [email protected]
(Washington, DC) – Mayor Vincent C. Gray and the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) today released statewide results for District public school students who participated in the 2014 District of Columbia Comprehensive Assessment System (DC CAS). The results sustain the historic gains made in recent years and continue to show increases in student proficiency.
Today’s results reaffirm that citywide investments in the District’s public education system are paying off.
“This year’s DC CAS results show that the positive momentum we have seen citywide over the past years continues,” said Mayor Gray. “We recognize that we have a long way to go to make sure that every child in this city is achieving at the highest levels. However, there is already a tremendous amount of work underway to address areas where we need to accelerate progress. We must remain committed to our path as we work towards higher achievement levels for all of our students.”
Statewide results representing both DC Public Schools (DCPS) and DC Public Charter Schools (PCS) showed overall growth in math (up 1.4 percentage points from 2013) and reading (up 0.4 percentage points). The results also show the highest 10th grade growth in six years.
“We have now seen multiple years where both sectors have experienced growth in enrollment and student performance,” said State Superintendent of Education Jesús Aguirre. “The bottom line is that families are choosing our public schools, and our students continue to make progress. However, we must continue to move with a sense of urgency to scale up the reform efforts that we know are working so that we can accelerate our progress toward greater student success.”
“I’m proud that the results of the DC CAS show we’re continuing on an upward trajectory, and that more of our children than ever before are proficient in reading and math,” said DCPS Chancellor Kaya Henderson. “I’m especially pleased that we’ve shown significant growth in our high schools. However, I’m somewhat disappointed that we weren’t able to demonstrate greater growth this year. Our educators are working urgently to change outcomes for students, and our students are responding to the more challenging work that we’re putting in front of them. We are on the right track and now we just need to accelerate our progress.”
Overall, DCPS students displayed a 1.6 percentage point growth in math scores from 2013, 0.3 percentage point growth in reading, a 2.4 percentage point growth in science, and a 1.9 percentage point decline in composition.
The District’s public charter school students displayed a 1.0 percentage point growth in math, a 0.4 percentage point growth in reading, a 3.5 percentage point growth in science, and a 0.6 percentage point growth in composition.
“For the ninth straight year, students attending a public charter school continue to excel in both math and reading,” said Scott Pearson, Executive Director of the DC Public Charter School Board. “The DC CAS shows we are making academic progress and that we are headed in the right direction.”
This is the last year District public school students will be assessed by the DC CAS exam. Superintendent Aguirre announced last month that OSSE will move forward with the implementation of the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) exam in school year 2014-15. PARCC will establish a new bar for proficiency, setting a new baseline for proficiency rates.
Superintendent Aguirre added, “The results we are announcing today show continued growth in student proficiency for the city as a whole. We also recognize our parents for their commitment to their children’s success. However, we must maintain our focus. It is critically important for parents to understand their child’s score reports as well as the education reform efforts that are underway, including the implementation of Common Core State Standards and PARCC. The new test will have a higher bar that is based on more rigorous content standards. We are raising the bar because we want to make sure that we are preparing District students for the competitive challenges of college and careers.”