At a press conference this morning at Ward 7’s Plummer Elementary, Mayor Adrian Fenty and D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee happily announced that student performance on the D.C. Comprehensive Assessment System (DC-CAS) exams show improvement in reading and math at both the elementary and secondary levels. According to a release, elementary schools scored 46 percent proficient in reading, up 8 points from 2007, while math scores rose 11 points. Secondary schools showed 39 percent proficient in reading and 36 percent proficient in math, a 9-point increase in both subjects. While these figures still lag behind national averages, they represent a significant improvement for the District.

The DC-CAS is the test used to determine proficiency under the No Child Left Behind Law, and is taken by D.C. students in grades 3-8 and 10. Both the mayor and chancellor credited former DCPS superintendent Clifford Janey for putting in place some reforms that likely influenced the growth, but Rhee added, “These are strong initial gains for the administration’s first year. Our students performed incredibly well and this is only the beginning.”