Dear District of Columbia Parents, Families and Caregivers:
As you may have heard last week, the District of Columbia continues to make remarkable improvements on a key measure of academic progress. The U.S. Department of Education’s National Center on Education Statistics released results from the 2019 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as “The Nation’s Report Card,” which measures proficiency in fourth- and eighth-grade reading and math every two years. The results show that DC continues to be the fastest-improving state in the nation. In fact, the progress our students have made over time is unprecedented.
I want to sincerely thank you for everything you do, and have done, to contribute to our students’ success and to our progress over the past 10 years. We know that these results reflect the hard work that you, your students and DC educators are doing every day, and we are deeply grateful for your commitment to improving outcomes for students.
On NAEP, the District of Columbia continues to close the gap with other states, and continues to see remarkable progress for all students as well as specific student groups, such as African-American, Hispanic, and economically disadvantaged students. 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, when we were far behind other states a decade ago. In 2019 DC was the only state to make gains in eighth grade reading – while 31 other states saw declines. I encourage you to visit the Office of the State Superintendent of Education’s website to see the results: bit.ly/2019DCNAEP
This progress is due to the collective effort of a community that cares deeply about all of our learners, their success in school, and their futures. But none of this success would have been possible without our parents and families – our children’s first teachers and our continued partners in education.
Thank you for everything you’ve done in support of your child’s education. Let’s continue to show the nation what’s possible.
Hanseul Kang
State Superintendent
