Today, the District of Columbia’s Office of the State Superintendent of Education released 2018-19 scores for all DC schools’ performance on PARCC, the state assessment administered to all public school students. KIPP DC remains the highest performing PreK-12 public school system in the District, providing a comprehensive educational pathway for 6,800 of the city’s students on their path to and through college and careers.
The disaggregation of PARCC data has driven an important conversation on prioritizing the academic progress of at-risk students across Washington, DC. “We believe that an excellent education can level the playing field. I’m pleased to see the investments we’ve made to support at-risk students and their families has yielded an at-risk PARCC performance rate nearly double the District average,” said Susan Schaeffler, founder and chief executive of KIPP DC. Across every grade level, KIPP DC students identified as at-risk performed significantly above the public charter school and DCPS average in both Mathematics and English Language Arts.
On average, KIPP DC students overall outperformed D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) and the charter sector on both the Mathematics and English Language Arts assessments. More students scoring a 4 and 5 on the PARCC attend KIPP DC than any other charter system in the city.
Some additional highlights from KIPP DC’s 2018-19 PARCC results include:
- KIPP DC Promise Academy at our Benning Campus again ranks as the highest performing charter elementary school in the District of Columbia.
- In the 2018-19 school year, middle school ELA instruction was a particular area of focus for our instructional leadership team. We were pleased to see this focus and investment of time supported students in making considerable gains across all middle school grades. 7th grade students scoring a 4+ on the English Language Arts PARCC assessment increased 9.4% over 2018 and we saw 10.9% more 8th graders score a 4+
- Across the KIPP DC network, our students have consistently ranked among the city’s top performers in math proficiency rates in recent years, and we are pleased to see those outcomes again this year (40% proficiency vs. city average of 31% proficiency). Promise, Lead, Heights, and Spring Academies were four of the five highest performing PreK3- 8 charter schools on the Mathematics PARCC exam.
- KIPP DC College Preparatory high school, in Ward 5, grew 9.4% on the ELA assessment and 10.4% on the mathematics assessment; making it the most improved high school in the city on the 2019 PARCC.
- At our Douglass Campus, KIPP DC Heights Academy is the highest performing school in Ward 8.
- Students at our Benning Campus collectively led Ward 7 PARCC test takers, with KIPP DC KEY Academy being the second ranked Ward 7 middle school and Promise Academy being the highest achieving school in Ward 7.
- KIPP DC Lead Academy at our Shaw Campus is the highest performing charter school in Ward 6.
PARCC is an important tool as we prepare students for college and career. “It is one of many data points we use on the road to college and self-sustaining careers,” said Schaeffler. “We want to see our scholars excelling as artists, athletes, poets, coders, and engaged citizens. We’re excited to celebrate all of our students’ achievements and continue our focus on ensuring a more equitable future for the District of Columbia.”
“Teachers and parents are incredibly proud of the skills and knowledge that KIPP DC students demonstrated on last year’s PARCC assessment,” Schaeffler said. “We have bright students and hardworking teachers, and their efforts have led KIPP DC schools to be among the top performers in the District of Columbia. With our school year already underway, our staff, students, and parents are recommitting to building upon our strengths, while reflecting and improving on our areas of growth.”
For more information on KIPP DC Public Schools, reach out to Adam Rupe.
