Dear District of Columbia Educator,
Last week, we saw that the District of Columbia continues to make remarkable improvements on a key measure of academic progress, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as “The Nation’s Report Card.” This progress reflects a collective effort of students, families, teachers, school and local education agency leaders, policymakers, partner agencies, and advocates.
Today, I am reaching out to you and to parents and families, as well as school and LEA leaders to sincerely thank you for everything you do, and have done, to contribute to our students’ success and to our progress as a state over the past 10+ years. We know that these results reflect the hard work that our talented and dedicated teachers are doing every day, and we are deeply grateful for the rigorous instruction and thoughtful guidance you provide to improve outcomes for our learners.
As you may know, NAEP tests proficiency in fourth- and eighth-grade reading and math every two years, and provides a truly apples-to-apples comparison of results across all 50 states and DC, and a clear picture of student academic progress over time
The 2019 NAEP results showed that DC continues to be the fastest-improving state in the nation over time. In fact, the progress our students have made over time is unprecedented.
In a year when national results have stayed flat or declined, DC’s 2019 results provide encouraging validation for the hard work we’ve done together. Additionally, when we look at results over time, we see a truly impressive rate of improvement for all students, as well as specific student groups, including students from economic disadvantage, African-American students and Hispanic students. These results show DC students keeping pace with the national average or significantly closing the gap.
Today, DC is ahead of five states in fourth grade reading and ahead of six states and tied with a seventh in fourth grade math. And, DC was the only state to make gains in eighth grade reading – while 31 other states saw declines.
To me, these results show that when we set high expectations and stay the course, students – led by talented and skilled educators dedicated to their success – will rise to the challenge.
This is fantastic news for DC and a testament to the work of you, our teachers. Thank you for your dedication and leadership, and for your belief in our students and what is possible.
We have more work ahead of us to ensure all students, regardless of background or ZIP code, have access to a quality education that prepares them for college and careers. But we can face the work ahead with confidence and optimism from seeing the results we’ve been able to achieve.
Let’s continue to show the nation what is possible.
Sincerely,
Hanseul Kang, State Superintendent
