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District-wide Student Achievement Data Show Significant Gains

Wednesday, July 9, 2008
District students showed significant improvement in reading and math at both the elementary and secondary levels for the 2007-2008 school year

Mayor Adrian Fenty and State Superintendent of Education Deborah A. Gist released preliminary data that show the largest gains in District of Columbia student achievement in nearly a decade. The data, released Wednesday, reflect achievement for students attending DC Public Schools as well as DC Public Charter Schools.

The preliminary data were compiled from the results of the 2007-2008 DC Comprehensive Assessment System (DC-CAS). The DC-CAS is based on District of Columbia standards that define what students should be learning each year and are used to measure student proficiency in reading and math.

District students showed significant improvement in reading and math at both the elementary and secondary levels for the 2007-2008 school year:

  • Preliminary results indicate that, in reading, the number of elementary students performing at the proficient level or higher went up 7.3 percent from last year, and secondary students reaching or exceeding proficiency also increased by 7.3 percent. 
  • In math, elementary students scoring at the proficient level and higher increased by 10.2 percent, and secondary students proficient and above increased 10 percent, over the 2006-2007 scores.

The annual DC-CAS tests are mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, and their results help the District to determine which schools have made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for the year. Preliminary results indicate that, this year, 56 schools made AYP, compared to 42 schools during the 2006-2007 school year.

“This is a milestone achievement for District of Columbia students and schools. These positive results demonstrate that we are on the right path in improving our schools and ensuring that all of our students receive an excellent education,” said Mayor Fenty.

The No Child Left Behind Act seeks to ensure that 100 percent of students perform at grade-level proficiency in reading and math by 2014. State Superintendent of Education Gist affirmed her commitment to that goal, saying, “We will not rest until all students are achieving at the proficient level and higher.”

“We are very encouraged by the gains that we see in the data this year. We will take a close look at those schools that are improving and achieving at high levels to see how those successes can be replicated in other schools,” said Gist.

For more information about the DC-CAS results and AYP determinations for the District’s schools, please visit http://nclb.osse.dc.gov/**. 

**Data is preliminary and subject to school verification

Contact: Maria Ibanez (202) 727-7535