Anticipation, nervousness, uncertainty--we've all felt these emotions while awaiting the results of a test. But over the past few months, as state departments of education around the country have analyzed and released scores from their annual state tests aligned to Common Core State Standards, the reaction of many teachers and students has been feelings of pride and accomplishment.
Here's why: Of the states that have released test data for the 2015-16 school year, the majority saw a rise in proficiency among students in grades 3-8.
One exciting example of this progress is Delaware, where every single school district saw an increase in proficiency in nearly every grade level on the state's annual assessments. Overall proficiency rose by three percentage points in both reading and math in grades 3-8. African American and Hispanic students saw even greater gains in third-grade math and grades 3-5 in English.
It is worth keeping in mind that these assessments are still relatively new, so we can't yet say for sure what's behind these positive results in Delaware and in other states. However, we do know that the states with the best news on the test score front are those that have committed to high standards--and to giving teachers the support and resources they need to help students reach those standards.
These resources and support have been crucial to the success of teachers like Mary Pinkston, a math educator at Brandywine High School and a former Delaware State Teacher of Year. Mary and her colleagues spent a lot of time together to work through different approaches to teaching math under the Common Core State Standards, and they've received constant support from their district math coordinator.
"There were several discussions, explanations, and activities," says Mary. "In my opinion, those math-specific discussions were the most beneficial to me."
She also took advantage of high-quality materials aligned to the standards, such as those offered by EngageNY, about which Mary says, "The Algebra I Core Content is presented in the curriculum in a way that encourages my colleagues and me to rethink how we teach and what we are teaching. Since we as teachers are inspired to be more creative, our students are benefiting in the classroom."
In last month's post, I discussed the importance of goal-setting--highlighting schools and communities that are working toward shared goals to help students succeed. Teachers like Mary demonstrate why it is so important to have tools like assessments to measure and track how our students are performing against those goals.
If you have your car serviced as part of a regular "check-up" and the mechanic reports a problem with your vehicle, you (hopefully) don't ignore it - you discuss what needs fixing or replacing and address the issue. Teachers tell us they want similar tools; they want to know whether their new lessons and classroom engagement strategies are working.
The indicators we are seeing right now from Delaware and other states are positive. It's too early to know whether this uptick in proficiency rates will continue--there's still much progress to be made to close achievement gaps for students of color and low-income students--but it's encouraging to see these signs of positive progress.
I congratulate Mary, and all students and teachers around the country, for their hard work--and for their commitment to reach even higher to ensure we make good on our promise of equity and opportunity for all students. Their pride is well deserved.