Boston's fourth- and eighth-graders are performing better in reading and math than students in other large, urban school districts, but still lag behind the national average, according to test scores released today.
The district demonstrated the highest math improvements among the 11 large school districts that participated in the urban portion of the National Assessment of Educational Progress, a test administered annually by the federal government to gauge the progress of students nationwide. Boston made only marginal improvements in reading in 2007, but continued to outperform other urban school districts.
"I don't think any of us in urban education would claim that our work is done, but this says we're on the right track," said Mike Casserly, executive director of the Council of Great City Schools, a coalition of 66 of the nation's largest urban school systems. "It gives us an idea of what we need to work on."
Between 2003 and 2007, math scores improved 13 points among Boston's fourth-graders and 14 points among eighth-graders. In that same time, reading scores increased 4 points among fourth-graders and 2 points among eighth-graders, gains not considered statistically significant.
Superintendent Carol R. Johnson said yesterday that her administration is already in the midst of a systemwide literacy review based on MCAS results released earlier this year.
"This affirms the data we received from MCAS," she said. "The trends and patterns of progress are the same."
With students across the district speaking more than 100 different languages, Johnson said that making students proficient in reading is a challenge.
"We are looking at the material we're using, as well at the teaching strategies," she said.
The data also indicated the persistence of achievement gaps between minority-group students and their white counterparts. For example, the gap between white and Hispanic students' scores on the eighth-grade reading test grew by 6 points between 2003 and 2007, while the gap between white and black fourth-graders grew by 6 points on the math test.
"Clearly, enough is not being done, because the gap is still here," said Kim Janey, a deputy director of the school reform project of Massachusetts Advocates for Children.
Janey said the gaps are a major contributor to the district's dismal graduation rate. A study released by the district in September found that 53 percent of Boston high school students graduated in four years and that most of the students who drop out are black and Hispanic boys.
"If kids aren't achieving and getting the help that they need . . . they will be more likely to fall behind and eventually drop out," she said.
The results also indicated severe shortcomings; while Boston is performing better than its peers, an alarming number of children in the district did not perform at even the basic level.
In reading, 46 percent of fourth-graders scored at the lowest level, while 37 percent of eighth-graders did so. Only 20 percent of fourth-graders and 22 percent of eighth-graders were rated proficient in reading.
"Far too many students in our urban districts lack the basics in reading and math," US Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, said in a written statement. "These city schools need more resources and support to turn around struggling schools and to give every child the opportunity to succeed."
The results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress have been traditionally used to compare one state's results with another. Under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, students across the country are evaluated under 50 different state-administered tests such as the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System and 50 different standards, making state-by-state comparisons difficult.
In 2002, the Trial Urban District Assessment was implemented to allow urban school districts to compare themselves with others with similar demographics. Boston joined the effort in 2003.
Casserly said it was useful to compare Boston with other urban districts across the country.
"In-state comparisons are very hard to make in a state like Massachusetts," he said. "No one else looks like Boston."
Boston's scores have steadily lagged behind the state average on the MCAS and the National Assessment, a phenomenon found in most urban school districts, which tend to serve more underprivileged, transient students.
Johnson said she will look to schools in Boston and across the country to identify successful strategies for boosting student success.
