Photo courtesy of Cleveland Schools Book Fund (clevelandschoolsbookfund.org)
CMSD NEWS BUREAU
After more than a decade of flat and low results in national testing, CMSD now ranks near the top in academic growth when compared with 20 other large U.S. urban school districts, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress released Wednesday.
The District was one of only three districts in the group to improve on all four sections of the 2015 NAEP, also known as the Nation’s Report Card. The test is given every two years.
The 21-city Trial Urban District Assessment group represents only a portion of the schools that participate in the NAEP. But CMSD fared well even when comparisons extended beyond the TUDA.
Cleveland showed the second largest gains in the nation in fourth-grade reading and fourth largest gains in the nation in fourth-grade math. Significant gains made by black male students and disabled students fueled the improvement in reading.
District eighth-graders had the fourth largest gains in reading in the nation and fifth highest gains in math among TUDA members.
The growth came as peers in the TUDA and other districts across the nation saw their scores decline or remain flat.
CMSD must continue climbing to catch up with many of the other TUDA members and the nation as a whole. But the results demonstrate the impact of The Cleveland Plan, a customized blueprint for education reform in the city, Chief Executive Officer Eric Gordon said.
“After years of finishing last or nearly last among other big-city school districts in the nation, the 2015 scores are the best indicator we have so far that our reforms are working,” he said.
Mayor Frank G. Jackson said: “This year’s National Assessment of Education Progress shows positive growth for Cleveland’s schools. We are making good gains in many areas, but we also know that more needs to be done. I am encouraged and believe we have the right programs in place to sustain these gains.”
Michael Casserly, executive director of the Council of the Great City Schools, said CMSD’s gains are “uniformly larger and better than any other school district in the country.” The council represents 68 large U.S. urban districts.
