Philadelphia students made some nominal gains in their standardized test scores last school year, but most remain below proficiency, according to new data released by the state on Tuesday.
In addition, major gaps between student groups remain. Black students are still scoring far below their white and Asian peers in all subjects. And students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds are struggling to achieve proficiency.
“We are on the right track, but the data also tells us we have an awful long way to go,” Superintendent Tony Watlington said at a school board meeting last month when releasing some initial test score data. “It absolutely is not enough.”
Spokespeople for the Philadelphia school district did not release any new statements or comments on the scores as of Tuesday evening.
Philly schools are in the midst of implementing a $70 million curriculum update for English Language Arts, math, and science. District officials have praised the new instructional materials as “state-of-the-art” and a core part of Watlington’s five-year strategic plan for improving the district.
But, Watlington has acknowledged that new curriculum overhauls can often lead to early “implementation dips” at the start, as students and educators get adjusted to the new materials. In the long run, Watlington said last month, he expects these curriculum changes to have significant benefits for students.
“When you try something new, outcomes get worse before they get better. It’s very common in education,” Watlington said at October’s Goals and Guardrails meeting.
See the numbers and read the full story on Chalkbeat.
