Chicago elementary school students posted strong gains for the second consecutive year on the state achievement test.
Chicago Public Radio’s Jay Field reports.
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Overall, sixty-four percent of elementary school students met or exceeded state academic standards in 2007.
It’s a two point jump.
Inside a balloon-filled school gym, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley said this year’s progress validated the enormous fourteen point gain in 2006.
Mayor Richard Daley: Last year, when our students achieved record high scores in all subjects, we challenged people to keep the progress going. Across the system, and it’s a large system, our students, parents, teachers and principals have met that challenge. Large increases in test scores are always welcome, but it’s much more important to build consistent improvements over time and that’s the whole thing.
Critics have questioned whether changes to the actual exam fueled those record gains in 2006.
The only bleak spot this year was science scores—they fell by three points citywide.
I’m Jay Field, Chicago Public Radio.