Release Date: Jul 19, 2012 1:40 PM  

The 2012 Delaware student assessment results released today show an increase in the number of students proficient in reading and mathematics this year compared to a year ago.
Statewide, more than 10,000 additional children are proficient in reading this year as compared to last year, and more than 9,000 additional students reached proficiency in math. Student increases in proficiency occurred across all grades, subjects and among major subgroups, in some cases resulting in a narrowing of achievement gaps.
“Those are the numbers that mean the most to me – the additional children who are completing the academic year with the learning and understanding they need to be successful,” Secretary of Education Mark Murphy said. “This success is the result of the combined effort of the students who studied hard and the parents and educators who supported them. While our collective work is far from done, this is something to celebrate.”
Despite this tremendous progress, important challenges remain. Notably, science and social studies gains were not as substantial as those in reading and math, and sizable gaps between underrepresented subgroups and their peers persist.
The Delaware Department of Education released statewide numbers in early June that also showed great gains but were lower than the numbers being released today. The differences between data released in early June and those released today are the result of a few important reporting changes.

• This year, students had two spring assessment opportunities – the first, which all students completed, and the second, which was optional and allowed educators and students to focus on areas needing more work. Data released in June reflected the score on the last test a student took, meaning if a student tested in both opportunities, it reflected the final test score regardless of which one was better. State officials agreed that using the last test score is a more accurate way of comparing growth to 2011, when students were not offered a second testing opportunity. 
• The final data released today reports scores based on the highest of the two test-taking opportunities, which aligns with federal and state reporting requirements. State officials also feel this method provides a better snapshot of current student performance. 

Using the “highest score” methodology, the 2012 DCAS scores show proficiency rates for  students that are between 2 and 7 percentage points higher than those reported using the “last test” calculation. Based on the “highest score” method in Spring 2012:

• Overall reading and math proficiency across grades 3-10:

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  • 73 percent of students were proficient in reading (DCAS score of 3 or 4) this spring, as compared to 61 percent last year– an increase of 12 percentage points, representing an additional 10,054 students proficient in reading
    • Reading proficiency among students in grades 3-5 increased 13 points; students in grades 6-8 increased 12 points; grades 9-10 increased by 8 points.
    • Within-year growth for students in grades 3-5 was 12 points higher than last year’s fall to spring growth; grades 6-8 and 9-10 saw 8 and 6 percentage points more growth, respectively.
  • 72 percent of students were proficient in math (DCAS score of 3 or 4) this spring, as compared to 62 percent last year - an increase of 10 percentage points, representing an additional  9,084 students proficient in math.
    • Math proficiency among students in grades 3-5 increased 9 points; students in grades 6-8 increased 10 points; grades 9-10 increased by 10 points.
    • Within-year growth for students in grades 3-5 was 10 points higher than last year’s fall to spring growth, grades 6-8 and 9-10 saw 10 and 6 percentage points more growth, respectively.

Not only are more students proficient this year as compared to last, but the state also saw an increase in the percentage of students scoring “advanced” in reading and math.

• Overall reading and math “advanced” across grades 3-10:
  • 41 percent of students were advanced in reading (DCAS 4) this spring, as compared to 35 percent last year for the “highest” spring assessment opportunities – an increase of 6 percentage points between 2011 and 2012.
  • 29 percent of students were advanced in math (DCAS 4) this spring, as compared to 23 percent last year for the “highest” spring assessment opportunities – an increase of 6 percentage points between 2011 and 2012.

 

 

Most achievement gaps between underrepresented subgroups and their peers narrowed slightly in 2012 as a result of increases in proficiency across most subgroups that outpaced that of their peers.

 

 

Some of the most significant progress was made in the state’s Round 1 Partnership Zone schools, where student performance outpaced that of the state, demonstrating that the transformation models effectively accelerated student growth in participating schools.

In the coming year, the state will work to address some of its biggest challenges:

• Proficiency of students with disabilities

Students with disabilities in grades 3-5 made greater gains than students without disabilities, representing a slight narrowing of the achievement gap, but pervasive and persistent gaps between students with disabilities and those without disabilities remain, particularly at the middle and high school level.

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  • A 52 point gap separates students with disabilities and their peers in reading grades 6-10.
  • In math, the gap between students with disabilities and their peers in grades 6-8 and 9-10 is 51 and 48 points, respectively.

 

• Science and social studies proficiency

Social studies proficiency was 68 percent and 57 percent in grades 4 and 7, respectively; that represents a 2-4 percentage point increase from the previous year, which was less than reading and math gains.

Science proficiency was 52 percent, 51 percent and 42 percent in grades 5, 8 and 10, respectively; that represents a 1-3 percentage point increase from the previous year, which was less than reading and math gains.

Students at the elementary level made greater gains in both science and social studies than their counterparts in middle and high school

Find the full score release here.

The Secretary of Education met with a team from every district in June to discuss each district’s data and progress to date. Find state and district data overviews, which show progress toward Race to the Top goals here.

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Delaware's Department of Education is committed to promoting the highest quality education for every Delaware student by providing visionary leadership and superior service.	Contact Info. Alison Kepner Delaware Department of Education 401 Federal Street, Suite #2 Dover, Delaware 19901 Phone: (302) 735-4035 Fax: (302) 739-4654 Email: akepner@doe.k12.de.us
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