North Billerica, MA, October 8, 2024
Academic recovery at a national level remains stagnant, and achievement gaps between poor and non-poor districts in most states have deepened since the pandemic. But many Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS) member districts are bucking the trend and closing learning gaps for their students. A member of CGCS, DPSCD outpaced the state of Michigan in reading proficiency gains during the 2023–2024 school year.
A study of 8,000 school districts across 30 states found that DPSCD outperformed 82 percent of the large, urban school districts analyzed. DPSCD’s ranking stands out as a particular success given that Michigan is one of the states where achievement gaps between students who are economically disadvantaged and those who are not is widening the most. A majority of DPSCD’s students (i.e., 83 percent) are economically disadvantaged.
“The ability to read by Grade 3 is a significant predictor of whether that student will go on to graduate from high school,” said Rob Waldron, CEO of Curriculum Associates. “[DPSCD] charted a remarkable path forward for its students. We commend the district’s exemplary work in supporting its aspiring readers, and it is our privilege to continue partnering with DPSCD to improve student outcomes.”
The average DPSCD student has recovered a quarter of a grade level in reading, with post-pandemic recovery in Grades 3–8 significantly outpacing state performance gains statewide. Grade 4 demonstrates particular improvement, with a five percent increase in students proficient or above on the Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress (M-STEP) English Language Arts (ELA)/PSAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) from 2022 to 2023.
“We are one of the leading larger urban school districts in the country recovering from the pandemic. That’s not only in eliminating learning loss, but showing improvement in at- and above-grade level performance,” said Dr. Nikolai Vitti, DPSCD superintendent. “The reform that we started even before the pandemic helped us mitigate learning loss, allowing us to turn the corner and move ahead. I’m incredibly proud of what our students have accomplished.”
CGCS students represent a large percentage of i-Ready users, with nearly 2.5 million Grades K–8 students in CGCS member districts using the platform nationwide. Ninety-five percent of CGCS member districts with mathematics data and 61 percent with reading data exceeded the national average in post-pandemic recovery according to the 2024 Education Recovery Scorecard.
To learn more about CGCS, visit CGCS.org. To learn more about Curriculum Associates, visit CurriculumAssociates.com.
About the Council of the Great City Schools
It is the special mission of America’s urban public schools to educate the nation’s most diverse student body to the highest academic standards and prepare them to contribute to our democracy and global community. The Council brings together 78 of the nation’s largest urban public school systems in a coalition dedicated to the improvement of public education for our nation’s urban public school children. See CGCS.org.
About Curriculum Associates
Founded in 1969, Curriculum Associates, LLC designs research-based print and online instructional materials, screens and assessments, and data management tools. The company’s products and outstanding customer service provide teachers and administrators with the resources necessary for teaching diverse student populations and fostering learning for all students.
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