DC Public Schools 
2004-2005 No Child Left Behind Results
Adequate Yearly Progress and Schools in Need of Improvement
August 5, 2005

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District of Columbia Public Schools

News Release

Clifford B. Janey, Ed.D, Superintendent

DC PUBLIC SCHOOLS TEST SCORES MOVE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION; ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS MAKE SIGNIFICANT GAINS

Washington, DC – District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) officials today released detailed, school-by-school information outlining student achievement on the SAT-9 test administered last spring. The results indicate that since 2004, the percentage of elementary students who are proficient has increased in both reading and mathematics. In addition, the number of elementary schools achieving Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), the rating mandated under the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation, showed a modest gain. (Under NCLB, achievement targets increase markedly every two years, with the final goal of reaching 100 percent proficient by 2014.)

In reading, the percentage of students scoring at the proficient level in the elementary schools rose from 46% in the 2003-04 school year to 50% in 2004-05. In mathematics, the percentage increased from 56% in 2003-04 to 58% in 2004-05. At the same time, the number of elementary schools achieving AYP in reading increased from 59 to 66.

DCPS Superintendent Dr. Clifford B. Janey said, “Of course we are pleased that the intervention strategies put in place are beginning to yield real measurable results. But, there is still much progress to be made. For example, there are still large gaps between groups of our students that must be closed, and we are determined to continue this trend of improvement into our secondary schools.”

Key factors in the elementary schools’ progress include:

• Black students who scored at the proficient level in reading rose from 43.8% to 47.4%.
• Hispanic students’ proficiency in reading rose from 44.3% to 49.6%.
• English language learners dramatically improved their level of proficiency both in reading and math, increasing from 30.8% to 50.4% in reading and from 50.8% to 56.4% in math.

"These data suggest that our reform efforts are indeed yielding results. I believe that the strategies we've begun to employ both in mathematics and literacy will serve as a platform for us to advance this District and close the achievement gap," said Rev. Carolyn Graham, vice chair of the Board of Education. “However, there are still gaps that are too large such as the 39 point gap between White and Hispanic elementary students in reading, “ she said.

DCPS is taking a close look at these increases and others, and is introducing a new process to examine the reasons for these gains both programmatically and at the individual school level, according to Dr. Meria Carstarphen, the District’s Chief Accountability Officer. “It is critical that we implement a program evaluation process so that we understand the reasons for significant increases as well as decreases. Only by implementing such a process can the District benefit from the annual test results,” she said.

Assistant Superintendent for Accountability and Assessment, William Caritj, cautioned that changes made this year in the grades tested must be considered when comparing results across years. In 2004-05, fewer students were included in testing – only students in grades 3, 5, 8, and 10. As a result, for example, fewer English language learners and student with disabilities were assessed and schools were accountable for fewer subgroups. Next year, under NCLB, schools will be accountable for additional student subgroups and the academic targets to achieve AYP will rise dramatically. In addition, in the coming school year new state assessments aligned to more challenging academic standards will be introduced.

At the secondary level, the number of schools that achieved AYP in both reading and math rose from 8 in 2003-04 to 14 schools in 2004-05. Secondary schools that achieved AYP in reading increased from 9 to 19 schools, and the number of secondary schools that reached AYP in math rose from 12 to 16 schools.

However, despite these improvements, students in secondary schools continued to struggle to reach proficiency. In reading, the percentage of secondary students reaching the proficient level slipped from 31 percent in 2003-04 to 30 percent in 2004-05. In math, the percentage of students reaching proficiency fell from 37 percent in 2003-04 to 33 percent in 2004-05.

Schools that do not reach the required No Child Left Behind goals for two consecutive years are designated as being “in need of improvement.” Under federal guidelines, there are increasing levels of intervention for schools that do not make AYP. When a school is first classified as “in need of improvement,” parents can choose to send their child to higher performing school. If a school does not improve the next year, parents are still entitled to transfer and are entitled to “supplemental educational services.” If the school continues not to improve, NCLB requires further “corrective action.” After four years, these corrective actions might include replacing staff, contracting out management of the school, closing the school or reopening the school as a charter school.

Of 60 schools that were classified “in need of improvement” in 2004-2005 (and had at least 40 students enrolled in the tested grades in spring 2005), 24 made AYP in either one or both subjects. Of the 60 schools, 28 are elementary schools and 32 are middle, junior and senior high schools. Sixteen of the 28 elementary schools made AYP either in both reading and math or in one of the subjects. Eight of the secondary schools achieved AYP either in one or both subjects.

For the third year, DCPS has released NCLB Report Cards that include reading and mathematics achievement data disaggregated by racial and ethnic groups, economic status and gender for each school and the district as a whole. The reports also include separate data for students with disabilities, English language learners, and students served in migrant programs. The Report Cards indicate whether or not schools and the district have achieved the “adequate yearly progress” required by the law. Under NCLB, performance targets must be met by each of the subgroups, not just the school as a whole.

DCPS has mailed packets of information to parents and guardians of children enrolled in schools “in need of improvement” and “in need of corrective action” that include details about the school choice options, supplemental educational services and other No Child Left Behind related issues. The packet of information will arrive in time for parents to choose whether or not to transfer their child to a different school during the two-week school choice application period that ends August 18. Parents who choose to seek enrollment at another school during the application period must submit their child’s application in person at the Logan Professional Development Center, Thomson Elementary School, 215 G Street, NE. This can be done from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, August 6 or Saturday, August 13 or from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on August 8-12 or from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on August 15-18.

At Dr. Janey’s direction, DCPS central administrators are further refining the data to examine performance gaps across schools, wards, and school feeder patterns. Dr. Janey already has begun to review these data in order to design programs, specialty schools and more school choice options within DCPS over the next year.

“The pace of change will be accelerating as we address gaps, teach to our new standards, and send intervention teams to work in schools,” Dr. Janey said. “We invite our partners in the community to help and support us to keep moving DCPS in the right direction.”

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ADEQUATE YEARLY PROGRESS (AYP)
Frequently Asked Questions

What is Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)?

AYP is the way schools are rated to determine if they are progressing toward 100% proficiency by 2013-2014 as required by the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). The federal law requires the State Education Agency to report on the Adequate Yearly Progress of all schools.

What does a school system need to do to achieve AYP?

To achieve “adequate yearly progress,” under NCLB, a school, district or state must:

• Test 95% of the students enrolled for a “full academic year.”
• Meet the state annual academic targets for all groups.
• Achieve the targets for the “other academic indicators.”

How did the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) do overall in achieving AYP in 2004-2005?

The percentage (and number) of schools achieving AYP in reading and mathematics increased significantly in SY 2004-2005. Reading scores were up from 44 to 59 percent and mathematics scores were up from 53 to 61 percent overall. The increase occurred at both the elementary and secondary levels. In addition, the number of schools not achieving AYP declined system wide from 93 to 72 — from 51 to 43 at the elementary level and from 42 to 29 at the secondary level.

How did students at the elementary level do in reading and mathematics?

The strongest results in terms of proficiency were at the elementary level. The percentage of elementary schools reaching AYP in reading increased from 56 in 2004 to 66 in 2005. The percentage of students scoring at the “proficient” level in reading increased from 46.3 in 2004 to 50.1 in 2005. In mathematics at the elementary level, the number of students scoring at the “proficient” level increased from 55.8 in 2004 to 57.9 in 2005.

How did the various racial, ethnic and other groups among DCPS students do?

Blacks and Hispanics at the elementary level made major gains in reading. Blacks increased their score from 43.8 to 47.4 — again of 3.6 percent. Hispanics increased their score from 44.3 to 51.2, a gain of 6.9 percent.

In addition, at the elementary level, large gains were achieved by both the students with disabilities and English language learners (LEP/NEP students). In reading, students with disabilities increased their scores from 16.8 percent in 2004 to 24.5 percent in 2005 (a gain of 7.7 percent). LEP/NEP students increased their reading scores dramatically from 30.8 in 2004 to 50.4 in 2005 (a gain of 19.6 percent). In fact, the gap between English language learners and other students was reduced dramatically and nearly eliminated entirely.

Students with disabilities at the elementary level increased their mathematic scores from 15.6 in 2004 to 22.1 in 2005. English language learners, again, dramatically increased their scores, going from 50.8 in mathematics in 2004 to 69.2 in 2005.

How did schools at the secondary level do?

The number of secondary schools achieving AYP increased from 2004 to 2005. In reading, 27 percent more secondary schools made AYP, from 18 percent in 2004 to 45 percent in 2005. In mathematics, 14 percent more secondary schools made AYP, from 24 percent in 2004 to 38 percent in 2005. In reading, the percentage of students scoring “proficient” slipped from 31.1 in 2004 to 30.0 in 2005. In mathematics, the percentage of secondary students scoring at the “proficient” level dropped from 37.2 in 2004 to 32.6 in 2005.

At the secondary level, only students in grades 8 and 10 were tested this year, resulting in fewer students being tested at the secondary level overall. Consequently, a number of historically high-performing schools did not have enough students in subgroups such as students with disabilities and English language learners. This was a primary reason that the number of secondary schools achieving AYP increased while the percentage of students scoring at the proficient level decreased.

What initiatives is DCPS putting in place to address its AYP?

For schools not meeting the AYP target goals, solution support teams will review school programs and practices, prescribe intervention strategies, and assist with implementation.

A new acceleration course in language arts and mathematics for students needing extra assistance will be offered to help close performance gaps. (1/2 credit elective course in grades 9-12 which students can take repeatedly to help them catch up to their level)

At the senior high school level, there will be a wide focus on literacy and numeracy. A Senior High School Division Board of Advisors will be established, with representatives of universities, businesses, and schools of education who will work with schools to help improve student proficiency in reading and mathematics.

We have tightened the truancy policy and have a new data collection system for student information and attendance/truancy (DCSTARS). Students must be in schools every day if they are to improve their performance.

We will conduct professional development institutes for principals and teachers, particularly in the areas of professional learning communities, curricula and instructional supervision, and literacy/numeracy. In addition, we have mutual support/peer coaching for principals and teachers.

How will the new accountability model help?

A new accountability model has been introduced that provides both for recognitions as well as interventions. Schools that fail to achieve AYP goals for the first time are identified so that specific steps can be taken to prevent them from becoming identified as “in need of improvement.” By accelerating the NCLB identification model by one year, interventions will be made as soon as a school does not achieve the goals, and progressive consequences will take effect earlier if schools continue to not make progress.