Delaware student test scores released; no major gains, losses

Editor's note: This story is a preliminary look at Delaware's 2017 test scores. A more extensive article will be posted online Friday. 

State officials said Thursday that not only did more students take state tests this past year, but more were proficient in both English and math. 

That being said, results were mostly flat, with only about half of all students meeting the proficiency cutoff. 

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Looking at Smarter Balanced Assessments, which are administered in grades 3 through 8, 45 percent of students were proficient in math in 2017, compared with 44 percent in 2016. 

In English, 54 percent were proficient, compared with 55 percent in 2016. Though that percentage went down, the actual number of proficient students went up by 285, according to Department of Education data. 

"What is significant is that every child has an opportunity to demonstrate college and career readiness," Delaware's Chief Academic Officer Michael Watson said of the results, adding that the state Education Department is proud of any gains.

He also pointed to more students exceeding standards and showing an advanced understanding of concepts. 

"We've raised the bar for our Delaware standards, and we've raised the bar for our assessments," Watson said, emphasizing a focus on increased academic rigor not only in Delaware but other parts of the United States.

TEST SCORES: Click here to look at the test scores in more detail

To that end, the state switched to Smarter Balanced Assessments in 2015, which are more difficult than those used previously. The new tests are designed to measure the higher academic bar Delaware set for students when it adopted Common Core State Standards, according to the Education Department.

For some school districts, reaching that bar has been difficult, however. Gov. John Carney said in a statement that he thought true progress was being made in education and there are bright spots in the data where some schools have made notable gains. 

"But the difficult truth remains that too many of our students in the City of Wilmington — our largest city and the economic and cultural engine of our state — are being left behind," he said. "That is something that we cannot allow to continue. We must do more to help our most disadvantaged students — those affected by poverty, stress, and trauma." 

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The highs and the lows

The test scores aren't necessarily something to live or die for. 

"It's one data point and we have to remember it's one test, and we have many tests over the year," Watson said. 

That being said, losses should prompt school districts to ask themselves what's not working, he said. 

"What's not translating into student achievement?" 

That question may be even more pertinent to Delaware's priority schools, the lowest performing in the state. 

Only one, Laurel Middle School (previously Laurel Intermediate), has made significant progress. 

In math, the school has seen a 24 percentage point gain since 2015, going from 14 percent of students proficient to 38 percent. In reading, it's gone up 19 percentage points, from 29 percent to 48 percent. 

"What Laurel represents to me is the ability to really move the needle," Watson said. "What we're getting is it's possible to do amazing things with our children, but it doesn't necessarily need to take many, many years to do it." 

Priority schools in Wilmington have not seen the same amount of success. 

Their results are as follows. Gains/losses are over three years. 

• Bancroft Elementary School, part of the Christina School District, saw a 6 percentage point gain in math, going from 6 percent proficiency to 12 percent. There was a 7-point gain in English, going from 11 percent to 18 percent. 
• Warner Elementary School, part of the Red Clay district, saw a 2-point gain in math, going from 11 percent to 13 percent. There was an 8-point gain in English, going from 13 percent to 21 percent. 
• Highlands Elementary School, part of the Red Clay district, saw a 2-point gain in math, going from 18 percent to 20 percent. There was a 3-point loss in English, going from 30 percent to 27 percent. 
• Bayard Middle School, part of Christina, saw no gains in math, remaining at a 3 percent proficiency level. There was a 1-point loss in English, going from 9 percent to 8 percent. 
• Stubbs Elementary School, part of Christina, saw a 4-point loss in math, going from 7 percent to 3 percent. There was a 4-point gain in English, going from 8 percent to 12 percent. 

Also in Wilmington, there were large declines at Kuumba Academy, where the English proficiency rate dropped 13 percent and the math rate dropped 14 percent. 

Prestige Academy, which is now closed, dropped 7 percent in both English and math. 

The bright spots Carney mentioned are easy to find. In Seaford, for instance, the math proficiency rate went up 13 percent in 2017, while the English rate went up 12 percent. 

The Academy of Dover's math proficiency rate went up 24 points to 50 percent, and its English rate went up 19 points to 55 percent.

There are also schools — Sussex Academy and Newark Charter — that have proficiency rates in the 80 and 90 percent range. 

In addition, some school districts — Appoquinimink, Indian River, Lake Forest, Caesar Rodney, Cape Henlopen, Smyrna and Brandywine — are above the state average in both English and math. 

Delmar exceeded the state average in math for the first time, as did First State Montessori. 

Contact Jessica Bies at (302) 324-2881 or jbies@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @jessicajbies.

SAT scores also stagnant 

High school juniors in Delaware take the SATs, which are also used to measure proficiency in English language arts and math. 

In English, 53 percent of students were proficient, which is the same as last year. In math, 29 percent were proficient, compared with 31 percent last year. 

Though at least 95 percent of students are supposed to take the SAT, many schools did not meet that benchmark. 

Watson said they will have to submit an improvement plan to the Education Department if they did not get adequate participation.