Area schools gain on federal tests

Hawaii was the only state to make big jumps in both reading and math in fourth and eighth grades, the two levels that were tested. But Maryland was praised by administrators of the National Assessment of Educational Progress for strong progress in fourth- and eighth-grade reading and fourth-grade math, while the District was one of only four jurisdictions to make notable gains in both grade levels of math.

Despite the progress, the District still came in last for both subjects in both grade levels. Maryland and Virginia were above the national average in all categories.

D.C.’s results follow a similar story line of the D.C. Comprehensive Assessment System, the exams called into question when a USA Today investigation pointed toward cheating on the high-stakes tests, which factor into teacher evaluations.

“I didn’t want to bring up the C-word, but it does validate, I think, [the scores], all the changes that we’ve done, and how we conduct the D.C. CAS,” said Marc Caposino, a spokesman for the Office of the State Superintendent for Education. “This can be another step toward trusting the results.”

In the past year, eigth-grade math performance on the D.C. CAS increased by a whopping 8.2 percentage points, while the fourth-grade improvement was a more incremental 0.6 points.

Atasha James, a first-year principal at M.C. Terrell/McGogney Elementary in Congress Heights, said she was surprised by the lag in reading. While math scores jumped, reading stayed flat for eighth-graders and dropped 1 point (not considered statistically significant) for fourth-graders. However, in both grades more students moved into the “proficient” and “advanced” ranges.

“The District is putting an incredible amount of money, time and planning into reading, but even in our first-quarter review math was much higher than reading,” James said.

Results specific to D.C. Public Schools will be released later this year.

While Massachusetts topped both math and reading in both grades, Maryland made some of the largest jumps nationwide in reading and fourth-grade math, tying for second with New Jersey in fourth-grade reading.

“It shows our students are getting an effective education,” said William Reinhard, spokesman for the Maryland State Department of Education.

It also shows that there’s room for improvement in eighth-grade math, Reinhard said. “That’s an area we have concerns about, and Maryland certainly isn’t alone, but middle school is a difficult area.”

Because Maryland’s math standards are changing as the state adopts the Common Core federal curriculum standards, “we’re hoping that paves the way for continued success.”

Virginia’s average scores on the tests increased slightly across grade levels and subjects, with the exception of fourth-grade reading. Wendy Geiger, the state’s NAEP coordinator, said officials were pleased that more students floated out of “below basic” and “basic” performance levels into “proficient” and “advanced.”

“It’s a good population shift,” she said.

[email protected]