DC Public Charter Schools See Gains in Math and Reading Proficiency at the Secondary Level

Contact: Audrey Williams  202-328-2748
[email protected]

 

Washington, D.C. — - The D.C. Public Charter School Board (PCSB) announced that preliminary results of the D.C. Comprehensive Assessment System (DC CAS), the citywide standardized tests, show charter school students achieved modest gains in reading and mathematics proficiency.  However, the overall proficiency rate for elementary students decreased slightly in reading.   All D.C. public school students are required to take the DC CAS annually to comply with the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act.

 

“The Board is pleased to see the continued growth in student proficiency in secondary schools,” said PCSB Board Chair Brian Jones.  “While many elementary schools made gains this year, we have much work left to do.   We are determined to see even more progress across the board at the elementary level.  The Board will continue to hold schools accountable for improved student outcomes to ensure that all charter schools are high performing schools,” Jones said.

 

DC CAS is one part of the D.C. Public Charter School Board’s (PCSB) comprehensive performance management framework, which will evaluate charter school performance in the fall 2010 through a thorough review of academic performance, including yearly student achievement, student progress over time, mission-specific measures and student readiness for graduation and post-secondary success. Review of non-academic indicators includes compliance with local and federal laws, governance capacity and fiscal management.  The entire framework gives the Board a full picture of how well schools are functioning and whether students are on track to graduate fully prepared for higher education and career opportunities.  The Board will release the results of the first year of the performance management framework in September.