2016 PARCC Data

Oyster Adams Sees Gains in Both Reading and Math and Makes Significant Progress in Closing The Achievement Gap

Oyster Adams Bilingual School has focused on rigor and differentiation at all levels, staying true to dual language best practices and consistent science instruction in grades K-5. These efforts have led to more engaged classrooms, targeted intervention and enrichment, smaller group and station learning in every classroom. Our efforts have paid off, as 2016 PARRC scores show gains in both math and reading and evidence that we are narrowing the achievement gap for all subgroups: gender, race/ethnicity, English language learners, special education and economically disadvantaged. The 2016 PARRC results are once again proving and re-affirming that all students regardless of race, class, gender or circumstance can achieve bilingually at high levels.

In reading, we improved from 55% to 60% (proficient of exceeding expectations) and narrowed the achievement gap at all subgroup levels. Some highlights include: +21% for English Language Learners, +17% for African American students, +11% for students who qualify for Special Education, and +11% for students who are economically disadvantaged. In Math, we improved from 49% to 54% and also narrowed the achievement gap at all subgroup levels. Some highlights include: +14% for African American students, +7% for English Language Learners, +7% for students who are economically disadvantaged. In 2015, our girls were outperforming our boys by 7% in math, this year the girls’ average grew and the boys matched the girls; 2016 results show no gender gap in math at Oyster Adams.

We are extremely proud of both our gains and the efforts at narrowing the achievement gap. We are not only out achieving the District average, we are doing it in two languages! Our kids are outperforming the city in second languages because of our strong bilingual programming that supports true language acquisition. We are producing students who are college and career ready and are global citizens with multicultural competency.

Our students’€™ brilliance and creativity of course is not fully captured in a testing setting, however, this is a measure and we know tests are often barriers for many students’€™ (AP, SAT, LSAT, MCAT) futures, and doing well certainly helps. This is especially true for tracking our achievement gap and ensuring all types of students are performing at high levels.

While the release of this information, without doubt, calls for celebration, it should also spur us to work even harder in the practices we have begun. Not all of our Tigres are where they could and should be, so we must use the data to narrow in on these students with even more intentionality. We are especially encouraged by the amount of students Level 3 and ensuring that differentiated rigor is present to quickly move them toward L4 & L5.

View DCPS PARCC Data press release.

Oyster-Adams Data

	ELA (% of Level 4 and 5*)	Math (% of Level 4 and 5*)
DCPS Averages	25%	24%
Oyster Adams Averages (390 students; all Adams current students + last year’s graduating class)	60%	54%

OA Reading
% Level 1	% Level 2	% Level 3	% Level 4	% Level 5
5%	12%	24%	48%	12%

OA Math
% Level 1	% Level 2	% Level 3	% Level 4	% Level 5
5%	13%	28%	43%	11%