City Students Reach New Academic Heights

In analyzing academic progress in 66 urban school systems in 37 states and the District of Columbia, “Beating the Odds: An Analysis of Student Performance and Achievement Gaps on State Assessments,” published by the Council of the Great City Schools, shows substantially higher test scores in 2007 in fourth and eighth grade mathematics and reading on state-mandated tests compared with 2003.

The study compares this past year’s state test scores with those reported a year after the federal No Child Left Behind law was implemented in 2002, requiring school districts to report performance levels based on state tests and show the percentage of students who score at the “proficient” level.   

The Beating the Odds report findings for the 2006-2007 school year show that 63 percent of urban school students scored at or above the proficient level in fourth grade math on their respective state assessments, a whopping 14 percentage point gain from 49 percent in 2003. For eighth graders, the percentage climbed to 55 percent, compared with 42 percent in 2003, a 13 percentage point rise.

In reading, urban schoolchildren also posted gains over the past four years. From 2003 to 2007, the percentage of fourth graders scoring at or above the proficient level in reading on state tests rose to 60 percent from 51 percent. For eighth graders, the percentage increased to 51 percent from 43 percent in 2003.

The study indicates that the state gains and federal test scores from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) are at their highest levels since academic proficiency data have been collected for urban schools.

It reveals that the state test trends parallel NAEP gains by urban students, but with lower percentages of students scoring at or above the proficient level on the federal test, which is generally considered a more rigorous exam than most state tests.  

Students in big-city public schools have made faster math and reading gains than the national average on the NAEP over the past few years, according to The Nation’s Report Card for 2007, released by the Department of Education. The report last November marked the first time that the nation could see four- or five-year trends on NAEP for the country’s major urban public school systems since a Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) was launched in reading in 2002 and math in 2003.

Some 28 percent of urban fourth graders scored at or above the proficient level in math in 2007 on NAEP, up from 20 percent in 2003. In reading, 22 percent of urban schoolchildren in fourth grade reached or went beyond the proficient level in 2007, a 5 percentage point increase from 2002.

“Academic gains by urban students on both state and federal tests confirm that city schools are making real progress,” says Michael Casserly, executive director of the Council of the Great City Schools.    

Although urban schools show gains in math and reading performance, the districts still generally lag behind state and national averages in fourth- and eighth-grade proficiency. But there are exceptions.

Four urban districts — Anchorage, Alaska; Charleston, S.C.; New Orleans (non-Recovery School District) and Florida’s Broward County in Fort Lauderdale — showed both fourth- and eighth-grade math and reading scores equal to or greater than their respective state averages in 2007.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom attributes gains in his city to a partnership with his school district, which outpaced the state in fourth and eighth grade reading proficiency and fourth grade math.

“These improving scores show that our collaborative approach is beginning to show results,” Newsom said in the San Francisco Examiner.

Details: Beating the Odds is available at www.cgcs.org.

Henry Duvall is editor of the Urban Educator newsletter published by the Council of the Great City Schools, a Washington-based coalition of the nation’s largest urban public school systems.