The District achieved dramatic gains on the DC Comprehensive Assessment System (DC CAS) due to the passage of the DC Public Education Reform Amendment Act (PERAA). Since the 2006-7 school year, the city, both DCPS and public charter schools, has increased its composite proficiency score by 19 points.
FC2 has long supported these new standards. They strengthen the District’s efforts to raise expectations for DCPS and public charter school students and prepare them to succeed in college and career. In 2014, DCPS moved even more boldly forward, with the support of FC2 and others, and replaced the DC CAS tests with the much tougher Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC).
In the spring of 2015, DCPS and District charter schools, along with 11 other states, administered the PARCC tests for the first time. The new tests were designed to provide a valid and reliable evaluation of the students’ progress towards the Common Core State Standards. The results showed there is need for improvement, but school officials believe they provide the most accurate look at student achievement to date.
