On September 5, representatives from the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) provided an overview of the 2017-18 Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) assessment results for the District of Columbia. Additionally, Interim Deputy Mayor Ahnna Smith updated the State Board on the search process for a new DC Public Schools (DCPS) Chancellor and asked for input on the skills, background and values that a new Chancellor must possess.

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Behind the 2018 PARCC Scores

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In mid-August, Mayor Muriel Bowser and her education team (Interim Deputy Mayor Ahnna Smith, State Superintendent Hanseul Kang, Interim DC Public Schools (DCPS) Chancellor Amanda Alexander and DC Public Charter School Board (DCPCSB) Executive Director Scott Pearson) released the PARCC results at Bancroft Elementary School in Ward 1. Overall, the percentage of District students who are on track for the next grade level and to leave high school prepared for college and career increased since last year. The full results can be found here and SBOE's response can be found here.

Shana Young, Chief of Staff, and Justin Tooley, Special Assistant, from OSSE discussed trends and takeaways with Board members and participated in an active discussion. Ms. Young reported that results show continued improvement in both sectors - traditional public and public charter schools - for the third year in a row. The exams focused on measuring problem-solving and critical thinking skills, and OSSE will use these results to drive programmatic improvements in District schools moving forward.

• Scores improved in middle grades in both English language arts (ELA) and mathematics, but were still lower than where OSSE would like them to be, and performance gaps persist between different demographic subgroups.
• Results showed an increase in the percentage of students rated college and career ready (Levels 4 and 5) and a reduction in the number of students in the lowest levels (Levels 1 and 2).  
• There were improvements across the board for every demographic group, but OSSE would like to see faster rates of growth.

Scores were mailed to the student’s home by the school where the student took the exam. Parents can check a student’s current school as well (if it is different) and they should have a copy available for download. OSSE emphasized to schools the importance of timely delivery of score reports to parents, and the agency is conducting oversight to ensure the reports go out on schedule. More information is available online at OSSE’s website.

PARCC results represent just one of several measures that define a student’s progress. Additional methods include a student’s report card grades, a student’s performance in the classroom, and feedback from a student’s teacher.

Resources: DCPS PARCC Resource | PCSB PARCC Resource

DME Update on DCPS Chancellor Search

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Interim Deputy Mayor for Education (DME) Ahnna Smith spoke to State Board members about the ongoing search for the new District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) Chancellor. Mayor Bowser launched the search process earlier this summer, appointing the Our Schools Leadership Committee (OSLC) to advise her on the selection and hold community meetings to gather information from residents. Deputy Mayor Smith shared feedback from the recently conducted Chancellor search community forums and asked State Board members for their thoughts on the process and the qualities needed in a successful Chancellor candidate. The goal of the OSLC is to serve as an advisory body that ensures that the feedback the mayor receives from the community is collected in a balanced, thorough, and equitable way.

Two out of the three scheduled forums have already taken place, at Cardozo Education Campus and Savoy Elementary School. Ms. Smith said that approximately 300 diverse stakeholders of students, parents, educators, and community members registered to attend the two events, and there are over 100 RSVPs for next week’s third and final forum at Brookland Middle School on September 11. During these community forums, people are being asked directly about how they feel about the current direction of DCPS, both positive and negative. The goal is to receive direct and frank feedback in order to make the best choice possible.

The Mayor’s Office of Talent and Appointments (MOTA), which is spearheading the search process, has officially posted the Chancellor position. On strong advisement from the OSLC, MOTA will be bringing on an executive search firm to assist in the process.

The OSLC so far has identified 3 top priorities:

• Transparency
• Commitment to Ethics
• Willingness to Listen

State Board members then engaged with Ms. Smith in an active Q&A on the search and ideas around what will make the search successful for the community. Ms. Smith said she welcomed any questions, recommendations, or suggestions State Board members might have.

Meeting notes and video recordings from community meetings and forums for the Chancellor search are now online at the Our Schools website. Community members are encouraged to attend the last forum in-person or submit feedback through an online survey. Ms. Smith noted that a report from the OSLC is expected to be released by late October.