69传媒

School & District Management

Urban 69传媒 Show 69传媒, Math Gains On State Assessments

By Catherine Gewertz 鈥 March 31, 2004 4 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

Urban schoolchildren made substantial improvements on state tests between 2002 and 2003, a study released here last week reports.

An analysis of scores from state-mandated tests in 61 urban districts showed that 90 percent of the 4th grades tested improved their test scores in mathematics, and 93 percent improved in reading. The 8th grades also progressed, but not as evenly. In math, 83 percent improved their scores, but in reading, only 53 percent did.

Read the executive summary of or download the , from the . (Full report requires .)

Other results showed that urban students were in some cases improving their test scores at a quicker rate than were children on average in their respective states. African-American and Hispanic youngsters were also found to be closing the gaps between their scores and those of white and Asian-American peers.

The test data suggest that a strong focus on student achievement in urban districts is beginning to pay off, said leaders of the Council of the Great City 69传媒, the Washington-based advocacy group that performed the analysis. They unveiled the results during their legislative conference last week.

See Also...

View the accompanying chart, 鈥淢ore Gains Than Declines.鈥

Michael D. Casserly, the group鈥檚 executive director, said urban districts have 鈥済otten off to a pretty solid start鈥 in meeting their states鈥 accountability goals as required by the federal No Child Left Behind Act. The challenge now, he said, is to accelerate or at least sustain that progress, while focusing more attention on upper grades to improve results there.

Cause and Effect?

The report, 鈥淏eating the Odds IV,鈥 represents the council鈥檚 fourth annual analysis of urban schools鈥 performance on state tests. But this year鈥檚 report is the first time the group was able to examine the results of tests given to meet the mandates of the 2-year-old No Child Left Behind law.

The law, a revision of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, requires states to set escalating targets that schools must reach when they administer state tests to students. By 2014, all students will be expected to perform at or above the proficient level on such tests. It is up to states, though, to determine what 鈥減roficient鈥 means, and those definitions vary widely.

Mr. Casserly credited the law with helping districts to focus on the urgent need to improve achievement, but said there is no clear correlation yet between the federal law and student achievement. He noted that many urban districts were making gains even before the law was passed.

The No Child Left Behind Act has been criticized in some education and political circles as overly rigid and insufficiently funded. Mr. Casserly, whose organization helped craft it, said it might benefit from being made more flexible and 鈥渂etter calibrated.鈥 But now is not the time, he said.

鈥淭he rhetoric gets so heated, and people鈥檚 ability to think straight isn鈥檛 at its highest in an election year,鈥 Mr. Casserly said.

Cautious Optimism

While the analysis offered encouraging news, it also showed that achievement gaps still persist, and that urban students鈥 test scores still lag behind national averages.

U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige said in a statement that much work remains to be done. But he welcomed the study as an important cause for optimism.

鈥淭hese findings are especially significant because research shows that it is often the students in the large city schools who need the most help and face the greatest odds,鈥 Mr. Paige said. 鈥淐learly, this report demonstrates that if you challenge students, they will rise to the occasion.鈥

Leaders of several large districts, accompanying Mr. Casserly in presenting the report, outlined some of the initiatives they believe are making a difference in their districts.

Arlene Ackerman, the superintendent of the San Francisco schools, said her 58,000-student district, which outperformed the California average on state tests, has been able to drive more money to schools, and to the students most in need, by streamlining the central-office budget and adopting a weighted student-funding formula.

69传媒 have more power over their own budgets, she said, but in return must meet 18 accountability targets.

Clark County, Nev., which includes Las Vegas, has boosted the portion of students taking algebra by 8th grade from 10 percent to 64 percent in the last few years by undertaking a major initiative to train teachers to teach that subject, said Carlos Garcia, the superintendent of the 262,000-student system.

To improve reading performance in elementary schools, the district has trained all of its teachers to be literacy specialists, he said.

Leaders of the Council of the Great City 69传媒 have pointed out that urban systems that are improving often share certain factors, said Mr. Garcia, who is the chairman of the group鈥檚 board. Such districts concentrate on achievement, use data to guide their decisions, and often standardize their curricula to eliminate fragmentation in the instructional program.

鈥淲e鈥檝e narrowed our focus,鈥 Mr. Garcia said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e no longer taking a shotgun approach. We鈥檙e research-based. We鈥檙e looking at what works and putting resources behind it, and it鈥檚 working.鈥

Related Tags:

Events

School & District Management Webinar Crafting Outcomes-Based Contracts That Work for Everyone
Discover the power of outcomes-based contracts and how they can drive student achievement.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
Harnessing AI to Address Chronic Absenteeism in 69传媒
Learn how AI can help your district improve student attendance and boost academic outcomes.
Content provided by 
School & District Management Webinar EdMarketer Quick Hit: What鈥檚 Trending among K-12 Leaders?
What issues are keeping K-12 leaders up at night? Join us for EdMarketer Quick Hit: What鈥檚 Trending among K-12 Leaders?

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide 鈥 elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

School & District Management Reports Strategic Resourcing for K-12 Education: A Work in Progress
This report highlights key findings from surveys of K-12 administrators and product/service providers to shed light on the alignment of purchasing with instructional goals.
School & District Management Download Shhhh!!! It's Underground Spirit Week, Don't Tell the 69传媒
Try this fun twist on the Spirit Week tradition.
Illustration of shushing emoji.
iStock/Getty
School & District Management Opinion How My Experience With Linda McMahon Can Help You Navigate the Trump Ed. Agenda
I have a lesson for district leaders from my (limited) interactions with Trump鈥檚 pick for ed. secretary, writes a former superintendent.
Joshua P. Starr
4 min read
Vector illustration of people walking on upward arrows, symbolizing growth, progress, and teamwork towards success.
iStock/Getty Images
School & District Management Opinion How Social-Emotional Learning Can Unify Your School Community: 7 Timely Tips
It鈥檚 a stressful political season. These SEL best practices can help school leaders weather the unpredictable transitions.
Maurice J. Elias
4 min read
Modern digital collage of caring leader surrounded by positivity. Social Emotional learning leadership.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week via Canva