Washington, DC – Dr. Michelle J. Walker-Davis, executive director of the DC Public Charter School Board made the following statement about the 2024 DC CAPE testing results:
“The results of DC CAPE confirm what we at DC PCSB and school leaders have seen across the District, which is that the pandemic has had lingering effects on student proficiency. This is why initiatives and tools like the ASPIRE academic evaluation system are so important -- as they emphasize achieving excellent schools for all students, particularly those from communities which have been historically marginalized.
This is the first year DC students took the new D.C. Comprehensive Assessments of Progress in Education, or DC CAPE. The exam replaced the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career exam, or PARCC. Each spring, DC students in grades 3-8 and in eligible high school courses complete statewide assessments in ELA and math; these assessments measure mastery of grade-level content standards. Over 95% of eligible participants participated in the math and ELA assessments. In comparison to the previous school year, public charter schools saw the following changes:
ELA proficiency rates increased at 54 school campuses across all student groups
Average ELA proficiency rate by school campus increased by 3.76%
Math scores increased or maintained for 69 school campuses across all student groups
Average math proficiency rate by school campus increased by 3.14%
The DC Public Charter School Board uses DC CAPE and other tools, like ASPIRE, to evaluate and inform our oversight of public charter schools.
On June 10, DC PCSB Board approved ASPIRE, our academic evaluation system. We believe this system is good for students, schools, and public education.
We've developed this accountability tool to evaluate schools in the areas DC PCSB believes are most important. This includes:
helping students grow,
preparing students for college and career success, and
building a learning environment that supports all students.
With this tool and many others, we believe we will move in a direction where DC CAPE scores will not only reach the levels of pre-pandemic, but soar past them. More information about public charter school results are available at https://dcpcsb.org/test-results-parcc.
To find more information about PARCC, visit OSSE’s webpage HERE.
Visit our ASPIRE webpage that details the newest changes regarding our revised evaluation system HERE.