Contact: Melissa Salmanowitz (DCPS) | 202-535-1096 | Contact Email

[updated: 8/8/14]

Students in the District of Columbia Public Schools continued to demonstrate growth with modest gains on the 2014 DC CAS. Students reached all-time highs in the percentage of students proficient in math and English Language Arts (ELA). For the first time ever, more than half of DCPS students are proficient in math. In math, 51.1 percent of students are proficient, up 1.6 percentage points from the previous year and 22.6 percentage points from 2007. In reading, 47.7 percent of students are proficient, up 0.3 percentage points from 2013 and 13 percentage points from 2007.

“I’m proud that the results of the DC CAS show we’re continuing on an upward trajectory, and that more of our children than ever before are proficient in reading and math.   I’m especially pleased that we’ve shown significant growth in our high schools. However, I’m somewhat disappointed that we weren’t able to demonstrate greater growth this year.  Our educators are working urgently to change outcomes for students, and our students are responding to the more challenging work that we’re putting in front of them.  We are on the right track and now we just need to accelerate our progress.”

Two schools, Stanton Elementary School and Kelly Miller Middle School, moved out of Priority status, which is a school accountability classification under the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act. To exit this status, these schools had to show significant growth over three consecutive years. According to the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), Stanton is now classified as Developing and Kelly Miller is now classified as Rising.

The greatest gains of any tested grade were at the high school level where students showed 4.2 percentage point growth in math and a 4.2 point percentage point growth in reading. Nearly every high school, 15 of 17, showed a gain in one of the testing subject areas.  Students in six high schools, Cardozo, Coolidge, Dunbar, Luke C. Moore, McKinley and Wilson, made growth in math and reading.  Students in the tenth grade made the greatest gains of any other grade, growing 4.1 percentage points in math and 4.1 percentage points in reading. In addition, students in eighth grade grew in both math and reading (1.1 point increase in math, 0.9 point increase in reading).

In the upcoming 2014-2015 school year, DCPS’ will focus on improving struggling schools, investing in middle grade students and increasing student satisfaction.  

“These results give us an opportunity to look harder at what is working and what isn’t working,” said Henderson. “We have to move faster, which we have said all along, and we are making the right investments and narrowing in for the upcoming school year to make greater progress.”

School Level DC CAS Highlights
Eleven schools, representing nearly all wards in the city, made double-digit gains in math. These schools are Amidon-Bowen Elementary School (10.4), Capitol Hill Montessori (12.9), Drew Elementary School (34.0), Ketcham Elementary School (11.3), Kimball Elementary School (10.6), Ludlow-Taylor Elementary School (15.3), Raymond Education Campus (15.3), Ross Elementary School (13.3), SWW@FS (11.0), Truesdell (14.2) and Whittier Education Campus. (13.3).  

Four schools made double-digit gains in reading, including Cardozo Education Campus(10.2), Drew Elementary School(18.0), Dunbar High School (23.3)and Seaton Elementary School (16.6).

Two schools, Mann Elementary School in Ward 3 and Ross Elementary School in Ward 2, crossed the 90 percent proficiency mark in both reading and math.

40 Lowest Performing Schools

In the 40 lowest performing DCPS schools, students in 25 schools showed increases in at least reading or math.

Students in nine schools showed increases in both reading and math.

• Anacostia HS (4.9 points in math, 1.7 points in reading)
• Coolidge HS (6.1 points in math, 1.4 points in reading)
• Drew ES (34.0 points in math, 18.0 points in reading)
• Dunbar HS (7.3 points in math, 23.3 points in reading)
• Ketcham ES (11.3 points in math, 4.5 points in reading)
• Luke C Moore (5.4 points in math, 8.1 points in reading)
• Moten (4.9 points in math, 0.9 points in reading)
• Orr (6.5 points in math, 0.4 points in reading)
• Wheatley (6.2 points in math, 0.1 points in reading)

The 2013-2014 school year was the final year of the DC CAS. Beginning in the 2014-2015 school year, DCPS students will take the new PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers), a new assessment aligned to the Common Core State Standards, which DCPS implemented beginning in the 2011-2012 school year.

Detailed information is available here. School level data available here.