The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) has released their 2019 DC School Report Card. Each of DC Prep’s eligible campuses (Edgewood Elementary, Edgewood Middle, Benning Elementary, Benning Middle) have earned 4 out of 5 stars for the 2nd year in a row.

The STAR Framework is DC’s statewide accountability system for all district and charter schools, mandated by the federal government and overseen by OSSE. It measures each school’s performance in Academic Achievement, Academic Growth, School Environment, ELL proficiency, and graduation rates. The STAR framework also measures each school’s success serving students with disabilities, students who are at-risk, English Language Learners, and each racial subgroup. Schools receive a STAR score of 1 – 5, with 5 stars being the best.

Additionally, for charter schools, the Performance Management Framework (PMF), is used by the DC Public Charter School Board to assess individual charter school performance.

The Charter Board’s Performance Management System uses a three-tier rating system (with 1 being the highest) and measures college and workforce preparation, English and Math achievement, year-to-year student academic growth, as well as family satisfaction as measured by re-enrollment rates. The Report also includes a description of each school’s unique mission along with other useful information to help families evaluate every public charter school.

For the 2018-19 school year, all eligible DC Prep campuses received a four-star rating from OSSE and a Tier 1 ranking from the Charter Board. By each measure, DC Prep is continuing to achieve our mission and providing a high-quality education to students in our city.

For more on the DC School Report Card, please click here.
To view the DC Public Charter School Board PMF results, please visit their website.

Earlier this week, the DC Public Charter School Board (PCSB) released their 2019 School Quality Reports, which offer a comprehensive overview of public charter schools in the city.

DC Prep is thrilled to share that, once again, all five schools in our network earned Tier 1 rankings, the highest rating for all public charter schools in the city.

“Our Tier 1 ratings reflect the strength of our community– the grit, intelligence and preparation of our students, and the fierce commitment that each of our families, teachers, and staff demonstrate for our students’ success,” said Laura Maestas, DC Prep’s CEO.

The PCSB measures a charter school’s performance on a variety of indicators including test scores, attendance, and re-enrollment rates, among others – and serve as a resource for families. School Quality Reports score each school between 0-100, placing the school in one of three performance tiers. Tier 1 are top-performing schools, Tier 2 are mid-performing, and Tier 3 are low-performing.

To view DC Prep’s official 2019 School Quality Reports, and to see PCSB rankings for other charter schools citywide, please click here.

On Monday, Mayor Bowser released the citywide 2019 Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) results. We are very pleased to share that, for the eighth year running, DC Prep is the highest-performing network of public schools citywide.

Additionally, the 2019 PARCC scores for schools in Wards 5, 7, and 8, the communities in which our campuses are located, highlight the unequal access to great schools in our nation’s capital, which directly relates to our mission of bridging the educational divide in Washington, DC.

Note: 4+ designates students who scored Proficient or Advanced on PARCC.

Senior Academy PARCC performance. This year, 58% of our Senior Academy students were meeting or exceeding expectations in Math and 64% in ELA. This is on par with, or stronger than, the results at many of the most sought-after public schools in the city. And there is very little difference between the outcomes for our students overall and those who are considered “at risk” by the DC government (i.e., are homeless, in foster care, or receive TANF). Notably, our 7th and 8th grade “At Risk” scores were the highest in the city.

The state-level 3rd through 8th grade PARCC scores, issued by local education officials including the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), demonstrate the efficacy of DC Prep’s educational model and serve as a proof point for a high-quality, Common Core-aligned public education.

The District of Columbia adopted a rigorous national proficiency level on PARCC of 4+. The PARCC exam scores each student’s college and career readiness performance levels on a scale of 1 to 5 as follows:

• Level 1: Did Not Yet Meet Expectations,
• Level 2: Partially Met Expectations,
• Level 3: Approached Expectations,
• Level 4: Met Expectations, and
• Level 5: Exceeded Expectations.

We always see opportunities to improve in service of our students, and will continue to work and ensure that all of our students receive an education that will enable them to succeed.

For more information about citywide results, click here.

*Students in 3rd through 8th grade were administered PARCC assessments in SY2016-17 at DC Prep’s Benning and Edgewood clusters. DC Prep’s Anacostia Elementary Campus opened in SY2015-16 with preschool and pre-k, and this year AEC third grade students will take the PARCC assessment for the first time. 

2019 PARCC results and DC Prep’s comparative standing are exclusively based on information released by OSSE as of August 19, 2019.

Today, the DC Public Charter School Board (PCSB) released their 2018 School Quality Reports, which offer a comprehensive overview of public charter schools in the city. DC Prep is thrilled to share that all five schools in our network earned Tier 1 rankings, the highest rating for all public charter schools in the city.

“We are proud of our Tier 1 rankings, as we believe they are a testament to the intelligence and hard work of our students, the support and dedication of our families, and the knowledge and effort of each of our teachers and staff,” said Laura Maestas, incoming CEO of DC Prep.

The PCSB measures a charter school’s performance on a variety of indicators including test scores, attendance, and re-enrollment rates, among others – and serve as a resource for families. School Quality Reports score each school between 0-100, placing the school in one of three performance tiers. Tier 1 are top-performing schools, Tier 2 are mid-performing, and Tier 3 are low-performing.

To view DC Prep’s official 2018 School Quality Reports, and to see PCSB rankings for other charter schools citywide, click here.

Recently, Mayor Bowser publicly released the citywide 2018 PARCC results and we are pleased to share that, for the seventh year running, DC Prep is the highest-performing network of public charter schools citywide.

Moreover, the PARCC scores for schools in Wards 5, 7, and 8, the areas in which our campuses are located, highlight that in the absence of DC Prep, our students would likely attend a low-performing elementary or middle school.

2018 PARCC Results by Ward

Note: 4+ designates students who scored Proficient or Advanced on PARCC.

The state-level 3rd through 8th grade PARCC scores, issued by local education officials including the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), demonstrate the efficacy of DC Prep’s educational model and serve as a proof point for a high-quality, Common Core-aligned public education.

The District of Columbia adopted a rigorous national proficiency level on PARCC of 4+. The PARCC exam scores each student’s college and career readiness performance levels on a scale of 1 to 5 as follows:

• Level 1: Did Not Yet Meet Expectations,
• Level 2: Partially Met Expectations,
• Level 3: Approached Expectations,
• Level 4: Met Expectations, and
• Level 5: Exceeded Expectations.

While strong in relation to the city, our PARCC scores are still short of where we want them to be. In keeping with our mission and values, we will continue striving until all of our students are achieving at levels that give them every opportunity to succeed in school and life.

For more information about citywide results, click here.

*Students in 3rd through 8th grade were administered PARCC assessments in SY2016-17 at DC Prep’s Benning and Edgewood sites. DC Prep’s Anacostia Elementary Campus opened in SY2015-16 with preschool and pre-k and will “grow up” a grade each year through 3rd grade; as such, those students will not be eligible to take PARCC until SY2019-20.

2018 PARCC results and DC Prep’s comparative standing are exclusively based on information released by OSSE as of August 16, 2018.

As part of its $4.1 million commitment to expand school-based mental health in the District of Columbia — a commitment that aims to add 2,000 wrap-around support seats in Wards 7 and 8 by 2020 to increase students’ social-emotional well-being — the Bainum Family Foundation today announced the four partner schools that will participate in its new Community of Practice.

• DC Prep Public Charter School (Benning and Anacostia Campuses)
• DC Scholars Public Charter School
• Eagle Academy Public Charter School (Congress Heights Campus)
• Monument Academy Public Charter School

These elementary and middle schools, all located in and/or serving Wards 7 and 8, will receive three years of training and technical assistance to strengthen universal prevention efforts, integrate academic and social-emotional data for decision-making, and coordinate resources between the school, families and community as each school implements the best practices that fit its unique needs and evaluates outcomes. The work is being conducted by the Foundation in partnership with the Center for Health and Health Care in Schools (CHHCS), part of the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health.

“We appreciate the enthusiasm and record of innovation these schools bring to this initiative and our broader efforts to advance the field of school-based mental health,” says Nisha Sachdev, DrPH, PsyD, the Foundation’s Senior Director of Evaluation.

According to Olga Acosta Price, PhD, Director of CHHCS and founding director of the District’s long-standing School Mental Health Program, children and families in low-income D.C. neighborhoods have an elevated need for mental health services due to the stress factors that result from living in poverty, coupled with low availability of resources (clinics and practitioners) in their communities. Further, available services in D.C. focus largely on treatment for high-need children rather than early identification and prevention for all children.

“We will help the partner schools adopt the most effective practices known in the field, build their capacity to serve more children and families, and increase the likelihood that these school-based mental health supports will be sustained over time,” says Acosta Price, who also is part of the District’s current working group on school-based mental health.

“DC Prep is deeply committed to success for every student. We have been focused on building and refining our social supports for students and have already benefited from work with the Bainum Family Foundation as they have developed this critical initiative,” says Emily Lawson, Founder and CEO of DC Prep. “We know that school-based mental health services, grounded in current research, can have an outsized impact on children’s abilities to develop healthy social-emotional coping strategies and to build life-long resilience. We are honored to participate in the Foundation’s Community of Practice and excited about working with colleagues to identify the practices that lead to positive outcomes for our students.”

According to Barbara Bainum, Chair of the Board, CEO and President of the Foundation, the school-based mental health initiative is characteristic of the way the Foundation works to improve the quality and availability of resources for children living in poverty.

“In order for children to thrive and to succeed in both school and life, it’s critical to address their social and emotional needs along with their cognitive and physical development,” she says. “That’s why school-based mental health is a key element of our Wrap-Around Support strategy. The Community of Practice is a crucial demonstration project that will help us understand the most effective ways to deliver these services through schools, and that’s information we will share with educators and the mental health field to benefit other children, families and schools.”
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The Bainum Family Foundation combines proven expertise with a passion for supporting the whole child by providing integrated services to help them thrive. Our circle of collaboration includes investments and support in early learning, wrap-around services and knowledge building. Founded in 1968 by Stewart and Jane Bainum, the Foundation has helped underserved children exit poverty through high-quality educational programs and services for 50 years. For more information, visit bainumfdn.org.

Honored, a national non-profit organization that recognizes exceptional educators and partners with world-class writers to tell their stories, has named Julie Moeller, Edgewood Middle’s Director of High School Placement, as its June Honoree. Ms. Moeller’s talent and unwavering commitment to her students is told through the story of Calvin Carmichael, a DC Prep graduate who she coached, championed, and cheered on throughout his search for the right-fit high school, ultimately choosing Choate Rosemary Hall, one of the nation’s most prestigious boarding schools. But Calvin’s story is not unique. Moeller brings the same dedication and care that are evident in Calvin’s story to all of her students, ensuring the very best next school for each DC Prep graduate.

As part of her award, Moeller received a $5,000 cash award and a $1,000 DonorsChoose.org gift card. Award-winning journalist and author Peter Bergen, a contributor to CNN and Vice President at New America, wrote the profile.

Read more about Julie and her incredible work with Calvin here: www.honored.org/honoree/julie-moeller.

For more on our high school placement and alumni support program, click here.