Driving District Gains through the Nation’s Report Card

Why We Subject Ourselves to Nationwide Comparisons

By Tony Watlington Sr. 

I hear it often: Why do you want to publicly compare your school district to other districts? To states? To the nation?

One of our goals at the School District of Philadelphia is to be the fastest-improving large urban district in the nation. Shining a spotlight on the National Assessment of Educational Progress data through the Trial Urban District Assessment program inevitably puts some of the big challenges districts face on display. However, it’s only by identifying those challenges that we can solve them.

The Philadelphia 2022 NAEP results showed we held steady in reading in 4th and 8th grade and in 8th-grade math — something to be proud of given nationwide declines — and we showed significant score drops in 4th-grade math. While the math scores were disappointing, it was exactly the kind of data we needed to take a comprehensive review of our elementary math instruction, provide additional support to teachers in this subject area and adopt a more cohesive and high-quality math curriculum.

A Reliable Measure

No single data point is enough to drive key decisions in education. When available, however, NAEP data should be part of the equation. It’s long been considered the gold standard in assessment design, and it holds kids to high standards and expectations. Furthermore, the test changes very little over time compared to state and district tests that change frequently. This allows for accurate comparisons across states and urban districts.

In order to become the fastest-improving, large urban school district in the nation, we’re looking for growth on NAEP, an increase in our four-year graduation rate and lower dropout rates. We’re making progress on the last two measures, and I’m optimistic about the next NAEP release in early 2025.

I expect we’ll also see positive results over time, given growth trends we’re seeing on state and district assessments. Additionally, this past January, the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University and the Educational Opportunity Project at Stanford University released the Education Recovery Scorecard. This report, which included 30 states representing 60 percent of the national public school student population, found that Philadelphia had the fastest post-pandemic recovery in math grades 3-8 and second fastest recovery for reading in grades 3-8, among all large, urban peer districts that were included in the study.

In addition, the report showed we were the fastest district to come close to prepandemic achievement levels in math, ahead of Los Angeles Unified School District, and in reading, we showed more growth than other large urban districts behind Chicago Public Schools.

Feeling Underestimated

By looking closely at NAEP and other data, we’re identifying what’s working as well as where improvements are needed. The good news we’ve seen in the NAEP data, particularly through the recovery scorecard, has given our community a sense of confidence and the chance to say, “Yes we can.” We’re building upon that momentum.

Perhaps there’s no better example of an education system that has received positive attention for its NAEP progress than Mississippi, which made huge strides on the assessment after raising its standards and leading the nation in an investment in the science of reading.

People in Mississippi know a thing or two about being underestimated, just as we do here in Philadelphia. We continue to be excited about the prospects of preparing students to imagine and realize any future they desire in our pursuit of becoming the nation’s fastest-improving large, urban district. That’s what motivates us.

Tony Watlington Sr. is the superintendent of the School District of Philadelphia, Pa.