Durham Public Schools sets target date for meeting two monumental goals

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Dr. Bert L’Homme, Associate Superintendent, Instructional Services, 560-3716 DURHAM--Thorough analysis of student achievement data and improvement rates has resulted in Durham Public Schools’ projection that the school system will meet two major goals--at least 95 percent of all third-graders reading at or above grade level and eliminating the Achievement Gap--by the end of the 2006-07 school year. Two overarching goals for the system since Superintendent Ann T. Denlinger’ s arrival in 1997 have been 1) Reaching the district’s goal of at least 95 percent of third-graders reading at or above grade level, and 2) Closing the Achievement Gap. In January 2001, Dr. Denlinger appointed the Superintendent’s Task Force for Closing the Achievement Gap, comprising community leaders from service organizations, government agencies and universities. In January 2002, she formed the Superintendent’s Next Steps Committee, comprising teachers, principals and Central Services professionals, whose charge was to: Spend the next several months developing new reporting criteria which disaggregates achievement data in an extensively overhauled format that will offer richer detail than ever before; Conduct a thorough study of current student achievement data and project a realistic deadline for realizing the third-grade reading goal; and, Conduct a thorough study of student achievement data and project a realistic deadline for closing the Achievement Gap. African-American students in grades three through eight have reported solidly upward gains in reading and mathematics over the last five years. In 1997, 49.1 percent of these students were reading at or above grade level, compared to 64.2 percent in 2002, an increase of 15.1 percentage points, or 31 percent growth. For math, this group’s performance jumped by 44 percent (48.7 percent proficient in 1997 compared to 69.9 percent today). While African-American students have reported great gains, their counterparts have reported significant improvement as well: White students have increased their student achievement levels by 5.4 percentage points in reading (86.2 percent in 1997 to 91.6 percent in 2002) and 5.7 points in math (87.6 percent in 1997 to 93.3 percent in 2002). Hispanic students have increased their achievement levels by 9.8 percentage points in reading (50.0 percent in 1997 to 59.8 percent in 2002) and 14.1 points in math (53.6 percent in 1997 to 67.7 percent in 2002). Asian students have grown by 6.8 percentage points in reading (84.4 percent in 1997 to 91.2 percent in 2002) and 4.3 points in math (90.9 percent in 1997 to 95.2 percent in 2002). The gap between African-American and white students in grades 3 through 8 in Durham Public Schools has narrowed by 26 percent in reading and 40 percent in math in the last five years. With the rate of progress that has occurred thus far, Durham Public Schools officials have concluded that 2006-07 is the year that the Achievement Gap will close. In addition to current strategies that have been in place for several years, such as the K-3 Literacy Initiative, the Superintendent’s Task Force for Closing the Achievement Gap and the Superintendent’s Next Steps Committee have proposed a number of initiatives to ensure that this happens. They include a Middle School Initiative, a College Board Initiative, Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID), the Hillside High School Plan, and the English as a Second Language (ESL) Plan for Service Delivery. Proposed strategies include bolstering the engagement of parents and the community around the issue, focusing on key transition years (grades 5 to 6 and grades 8 to 9), decreasing short-term suspensions, decreasing the number of minority students in Exceptional Children’s Programs, supporting programs for four-year-olds, and reducing class sizes in grades K-2. "Due to the collection and analysis of solid student achievement data, Durham Public Schools is now in the position to establish clear and realistic deadlines for meeting the critically important goals of closing the Achievement Gap and having at least 95 percent of all third-graders reading at or above grade level," said Superintendent Denlinger. "This is a landmark move for the school system and the community. I extend our deepest gratitude to our teachers, principals, Central Services professionals, parents and community supporters who have displayed extraordinary dedication to this effort over the last five years, for the ability to take this historic and ambitious step." ###