Chicago Students Continue to Make Progress

Today, the National Center for Education Statistics and the National Assessment Governing Board released results from the 2017 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). These results, which are referred to as the Nation’s Report Card, confirm that CPS remains one of the fastest-improving districts in the country.

NAEP is administered biannually and helps us understand how CPS’ fourth and eighth graders compare to other states and large urban school districts across the country. The data released today reaffirm what researchers from leading universities have found: CPS students are making durable progress that is an example for other urban districts around the country. Earlier this school year, groundbreaking research from Stanford Professor Sean Reardon showed that CPS students gain six years of growth in just five years of school and are improving at a rate faster than 96 percent of school districts in the U.S. – across every racial and socioeconomic subgroup.

Between 2003 and 2017, CPS greatly narrowed the achievement gap in fourth and eighth grade reading and math between the district and the State of Illinois. We have also achieved the second highest growth in the nation since 2003 among urban districts for both 4th and 8th grade math.

“These latest NAEP scores show that Chicago maintained the progress it has made up to this point in fourth grade reading and math, and it built on its previous gains at the eighth grade level in both subjects. All in all, Chicago remains one of the fastest improving big-city school districts in the country–with much more to come. Kudos to Chicago.” – Michael Casserly, Executive Director of the Council of the Great City Schools.

Additionally, CPS African American and Hispanic students match or outperform Illinois students of the same demographic in almost every category, and the data shows that CPS students drive the state’s growth among these groups. And for the first time ever, CPS Hispanic 8th graders achieved the highest math scores of any large district in the country. This is consistent with several research studies, including UIC’s Paul Zavitkovsky, who noted that Chicago students outperform their peers with similar demographics outside of the city.

“The NAEP results add to the growing evidence of positive academic trends highlighted in other recent studies of Chicago Public Schools,” said Dr. Steve Tozer, Director of the UIC Center for Urban Education Leadership. “The data show sustained, long-term growth. By using data-informed practices and policies, CPS has emerged as a national leader for driving academic improvement.”

Chicago continues to be one of the fastest-improving large districts in the country, and we are committed to accelerating our recent success by ensuring every student in every neighborhood has access to a high quality education. I encourage you to check out the 2017 Nation’s Report Card to learn more about how CPS compares to other districts around the nation, and if you’re interested in learning more about NAEP, you can click here for parent resources.

Sincerely,
Janice K. Jackson
Chief Executive Officer
Chicago Public Schools