LPS: Achievement Gap in 3rd Grade Reading

Here it was noted that there was a 29-point difference in 3rd grade reading proficiency rates between low income and non-low income students in the Lynn public school system. Below are the proficiency rates at this level by school; all numbers are in percentages. The positive or negative numbers in parentheses indicates the difference from the individual school's overall proficiency rate. In 2012, 41% of 3rd grade students citywide scored proficient or higher on the reading exam.

*N/A - Data is not reported for sample sizes less than 10.
**No data at the individual grade levels was reported for Washington

	Low Income	Non-Low Income
Aborn	56 (-16)	90 (+18)
Brickett	39 (-4)	54 (+11)
Callahan	31 (-4)	53 (+18)
Cobbet	24 (-2)	N/A
Connery	23 (-12)	N/A
Drewicz	46 (0)	N/A
Ford	31 (0)	N/A
Harrington	28 (+3)	10 (-15)
Hood	47 (-5)	70 (+18)
Ingalls	39 (-1)	N/A
Lincoln-Thomson	42 (-11)	80 (+27)
Lynn Woods	20 (-28)	65 (+17)
Sewell Anderson	42 (-4)	60 (+14)
Shoemaker	36 (-15)	61 (+10)
Sisson	71 (-5)	82 (+6)
Tracy	22 (-6)	N/A
Washington**	N/A	N/A

The school with the largest gap between low income and non-low income students was Lynn Woods (45 points) while the school with the smallest gap was Sisson (11 points). Harrington was the only school were low income students had a higher proficiency rate than non-low income students.

For low income students, Aborn, Drewicz, Hood, Lincoln-Thomson, Sewall Anderson and Sisson all had higher proficiency rates than the city's overall 3rd grade reading proficiency rate. The proficiency rate specifically for low income students in Lynn as a whole was 36% (a 5-point difference from the aggregate).

All of the schools with available data except Harrington had a higher proficiency rate than the city for the non-low income subgroup. This figure was 65% just for non-low income students.

Citation: www.doe.mass.edu

Most Massachusetts Districts See Higher than Average Proficiency Rates in 3rd Grade Reading

The blog Eye on Early Education published this color-coded map which indicates proficiency rates on the 2011 third  grade reading MCAS exam for the individual districts in Massachusetts. The map reported that, of the 274 districts with available data, more than half  (60%) achieved a 65% or greater proficiency rate on the exam. The percentage range with the highest number of districts was 65% - 79%. More specifically:

• 15% of districts achieved a 80% - 100% proficiency rate. These districts included Wellesley, Needham, Sharon and Acton.
• 45% of districts achieved a 65% - 79% proficiency rate. Districts included Danvers, Weston, Hadley and Dartmouth.
• 28% achieved a 50% - 64% proficiency rates. Districts included Chicopee, Saugus, Taunton and Framingham.
• 12% achieved of proficiency rate of less than 50%. Districts included Lynn, Chelsea, Ludlow, and Fitchburg. All ten of the Commissioner's Urban Districts also fell into this category.

Overall, 61% of third grade students in Massachusetts were proficient  in reading according to their MCAS exam results.

Urban Districts Decline in 3rd Grade Reading Proficiency; Lynn Improves Slightly

The blog Eye on Early Education focuses on the goals of ensuring that children in Massachusetts have access to high-quality early education and that they become proficient readers by the end of the third grade. Proficiency in 3rd grade reading has been established as a huge indicator of the likelihood of graduating from high school.  In September 2010, the blog reported that proficiency rates on the 3rd grade reading MCAS exam were up from 2009 in 10 urban districts in the state; increases varied from two percentage points to fifteen percentage points. Unfortunately, the increases seen in 2010 did not continue in 2011 in all of the urban districts.

	2009	2010	2011
Massachusetts	57%	63%	61%
Boston	31%	37%	36%
Brockton	36%	40%	33%
Fall River	35%	37%	40%
Holyoke	21%	25%	21%
Lawrence	34%	40%	36%
Lowell	33%	41%	39%
Lynn	37%	45%	47%
New Bedford	38%	53%	45%
Springfield	36%	39%	40%
Worcester	35%	45%	39%

Only three urban districts continued to see an increase in 3rd grade reading proficiency rates in 2011 (highlighted in teal). Increases for the three districts that did improve in 2011 were minimal ranging from only one to three percentage points.

In Lynn, some elementary schools saw huge gains in 3rd grade reading proficiency rates while others decreased. Highlighted in teal here are the Lynn elementary schools that saw increases in the percentage of students who scored proficient or higher on the 3rd grade reading exam from 2010 to 2011. Increases ranged from four to eighteen percentage points. Three schools (Ford, Aborn, and Sisson) either met or exceeded the state average for this particular exam while Connery, a Level 4 school, increased from a 9% proficiency rate in 2009 to a 37% proficiency rate in 2011. Though Sisson did decline in its 3rd grade proficiency rate, the school still performed better than the state average.

	2009	2010	2011
Aborn	58%	58%	70%
Brickett	43%	60%	57%
Callahan	31%	40%	44%
Cobbet	12%	36%	28%
Connery	9%	25%	37%
Drewicz	34%	54%	45%
Ford	50%	48%	61%
Harrington	21%	28%	26%
Hood	35%	30%	48%
Ingalls	29%	40%	44%
Lincoln-Thomson	65%	68%	57%
Lynn Woods	77%	54%	52%
Sewell Anderson	38%	63%	43%
Shoemaker	51%	57%	53%
Sisson	78%	81%	70%
Tracy	49%	54%	44%

While Lynn as a whole is increasing in terms of 3rd grade proficiency rates, there is always room for improvement. This particularly true as there seems to be an achievement gap at this level between certain subgroups in the city such as male/female (41% proficient vs. 52%) and low income/non-low income (43% versus 62%) among others. As proficiency in reading in the 3rd grade has important implications for future academic success, improving and increasing students' literacy skills is essential to raising educational achievement in Lynn and other urban districts.

**Data Taken from: www.doe.mass.edu