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BOSTON -- Fourth-grade students in the Boston Public Schools are for the first time ranked virtually on par with the national average in reading and are outperforming their peers in other large cities, according to newly released test results.
Findings released today from the 2015 National Assessment for Educational Progress (NAEP), commonly known as the “Nation’s Report Card,” show BPS students made significant gains in Grade 4 Reading scores, achieving a 5-point increase from 2013 and a 13-point climb since 2003.
BPS students scored on average 219 points on the NAEP assessment, placing them in a statistical tie with the national average of 221, and well above the 214 average for large city schools.
The Grade 4 Reading results parallel the district’s historically high achievements in Grade 8 Math assessments by NAEP, which tests samples of 4th and 8th-grade students nationwide every two years.
In Math, BPS 8th graders fully caught up to the national average in 2015 – an average scaled score of 281 – by finally closing what was once a 14-point gap between the district and the nation in 2003.
While BPS also saw strong gains for English Language Learners (ELL) and students with disabilities, NAEP results underscore the need for a continued effort to close the achievement gap. For example, for Grade 8 Math, Asian students scored 318; white students scored 311; Hispanic students scored 271; and black students scored 269.
“I am proud of our students for continuing to make gains on the NAEP assessment and our educators for meeting the challenge to improve learning across the board,” said Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh. “These results show that our investments in education and the future of our children are proving to be successful. This is a step in the right direction and I look forward to building upon these successes so that every child has a bright future.”
“We are very pleased to see our students continually doing well compared to their peers in other large districts,” said Michael O’Neill, chairman of the Boston School Committee. “However, we are disappointed the achievement gap is not narrower, and these NAEP scores highlight the importance of the work of the Committee’s new Opportunity and Achievement Gap Task Force to find solutions to this issue.”
Overall, the 2015 data keeps Boston as a top district in the Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) group, which is composed of 21 large urban or regional school districts. BPS remains the highest performing TUDA district for 8th-grade students in math among its general education population, scoring 298 points. The TUDA districts with the second- and third-highest Grade 8 Math scores are Austin at 296 and Charlotte at 294.
BPS Superintendent Tommy Chang credited the district’s consistent focus on implementing more rigorous standards and coherent curricula, as well as investments in developing and supporting teachers with driving the strong gains.
“The 2015 NAEP scores show that the Boston Public Schools is continuing to move in the right direction. However, we still have considerable work to do,” said Dr. Chang. “As Boston continues to serve as a model and leader for the nation, it is important that we maintain our focus on more rigorous standards and do everything we can to close the achievement gap and make sure our students are ready for college, career and life.”
Among the some of the highlights of the NAEP results were the scores of BPS’ English Language Learners (ELL) in Grade 4 Reading. The group scored 205 points, making BPS the best-performing TUDA district in this category. For Grade 8 Math scores for BPS students with disabilities, Boston scored 250, making it the second-highest performing TUDA district in this category, behind Duval County, Florida, which scored 253.
Boston’s gains in Grade 4 Reading scores represent substantial progress made in developing a multi-disciplinary approach to improving literacy skills over the past several years, particularly since 2011, when BPS began using the Close Reading initiative to improve literacy standards across disciplines to align with Common Core curriculum standards for college and career readiness.
The improved math scores reflect a powerful commitment BPS began in 2003, when additional resources helped teachers lay the groundwork for a shift in the curriculum toward complex reasoning and thinking, making sense of math, and building fluency. The results of the shift in curriculum are evident with our improved NAEP performances, particularly since 2011.
“With these new NAEP results, Boston has done something truly remarkable,” said Michael Casserly, executive director of the Council of Great City Schools. “The school district has caught up to the national average in eighth-grade math after having been significantly below it several years ago. It is now no different statistically from the national average in fourth grade reading. No other city in the nation has pulled this off in two subjects and grades.”
Other NAEP Highlights Include:
• For Grade 4 Math, BPS scored at 236, compared to 234 for large cities, and 240 for the national average.
BPS 4th Graders Make Significant Gains in Reading; Trend Mirrors Previous High Achievement Benchmarks in Grade 8 Math
Findings released today from the 2015 National Assessment for Educational Progress (NAEP), commonly known as the “Nation’s Report Card,” show BPS students made significant gains in Grade 4 Reading scores, achieving a 5-point increase from 2013 and a 13-point climb since 2003.
BPS students scored on average 219 points on the NAEP assessment, placing them in a statistical tie with the national average of 221, and well above the 214 average for large city schools.
The Grade 4 Reading results parallel the district’s historically high achievements in Grade 8 Math assessments by NAEP, which tests samples of 4th and 8th-grade students nationwide every two years.
In Math, BPS 8th graders fully caught up to the national average in 2015 – an average scaled score of 281 – by finally closing what was once a 14-point gap between the district and the nation in 2003.
While BPS also saw strong gains for English Language Learners (ELL) and students with disabilities, NAEP results underscore the need for a continued effort to close the achievement gap. For example, for Grade 8 Math, Asian students scored 318; white students scored 311; Hispanic students scored 271; and black students scored 269.
“I am proud of our students for continuing to make gains on the NAEP assessment and our educators for meeting the challenge to improve learning across the board,” said Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh. “These results show that our investments in education and the future of our children are proving to be successful. This is a step in the right direction and I look forward to building upon these successes so that every child has a bright future.”
“We are very pleased to see our students continually doing well compared to their peers in other large districts,” said Michael O’Neill, chairman of the Boston School Committee. “However, we are disappointed the achievement gap is not narrower, and these NAEP scores highlight the importance of the work of the Committee’s new Opportunity and Achievement Gap Task Force to find solutions to this issue.”
Overall, the 2015 data keeps Boston as a top district in the Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) group, which is composed of 21 large urban or regional school districts. BPS remains the highest performing TUDA district for 8th-grade students in math among its general education population, scoring 298 points. The TUDA districts with the second- and third-highest Grade 8 Math scores are Austin at 296 and Charlotte at 294.
BPS Superintendent Tommy Chang credited the district’s consistent focus on implementing more rigorous standards and coherent curricula, as well as investments in developing and supporting teachers with driving the strong gains.
“The 2015 NAEP scores show that the Boston Public Schools is continuing to move in the right direction. However, we still have considerable work to do,” said Dr. Chang. “As Boston continues to serve as a model and leader for the nation, it is important that we maintain our focus on more rigorous standards and do everything we can to close the achievement gap and make sure our students are ready for college, career and life.”
Among the some of the highlights of the NAEP results were the scores of BPS’ English Language Learners (ELL) in Grade 4 Reading. The group scored 205 points, making BPS the best-performing TUDA district in this category. For Grade 8 Math scores for BPS students with disabilities, Boston scored 250, making it the second-highest performing TUDA district in this category, behind Duval County, Florida, which scored 253.
Boston’s gains in Grade 4 Reading scores represent substantial progress made in developing a multi-disciplinary approach to improving literacy skills over the past several years, particularly since 2011, when BPS began using the Close Reading initiative to improve literacy standards across disciplines to align with Common Core curriculum standards for college and career readiness.
The improved math scores reflect a powerful commitment BPS began in 2003, when additional resources helped teachers lay the groundwork for a shift in the curriculum toward complex reasoning and thinking, making sense of math, and building fluency. The results of the shift in curriculum are evident with our improved NAEP performances, particularly since 2011.
“With these new NAEP results, Boston has done something truly remarkable,” said Michael Casserly, executive director of the Council of Great City Schools. “The school district has caught up to the national average in eighth-grade math after having been significantly below it several years ago. It is now no different statistically from the national average in fourth grade reading. No other city in the nation has pulled this off in two subjects and grades.”
Other NAEP Highlights Include:
• For Grade 4 Math, BPS scored at 236, compared to 234 for large cities, and 240 for the national average.
• For Grade 8 Reading, BPS scored at 258, compared to 257 for large cities, and 264 for the national average.