My of my best friends works at Roxbury Prep school in Roxbury, MA. Roxbury is right outside of Boston. She graduated with me here at ASU and then received her Masters in Educational Leadership from Harvard. We talk and share a lot with one another about what is happening in our schools. Yesterday, she sent me the following press release. I thought I would share it with you.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For more information contact:
September 24, 2003 Joshua J. Phillips, Co-Director
P: (617) 566-2361, Ext. 101
F: (617) 566-2373
jphillips@roxburyprep.org
PRESS RELEASE
MCAS Achievement in Roxbury
September 24, 2003. Roxbury, MA. A decade since passage of the Massachusetts Education Reform Act of 1993 there remains a substantial achievement gap between urban students of color and their White suburban counterparts. Nevertheless, while closing the achievement gap may seem impossible to some, it has become a reality for one school. Roxbury Preparatory Charter School, a 6-8 public school in Boston, has bridged the deep MCAS divide with its 180 Black and Latino students and 65% free or reduced price lunch population.
•On the 8 th grade math test, Roxbury Prep had the highest percentage of students scoring advanced or proficient (58%) of any predominantly Black school in the state and the 2 nd highest percentage of any non-exam public school in Boston. More Roxbury Prep students scored advanced or proficient than students in Tewksbury (47%), Lincoln (54%), and Chelmsford (56%).
•On the 8 th grade science test, Roxbury Prep had the highest percentage of students scoring advanced or proficient (58%) of any predominantly Black school in the state and the highest percentage of any public school in Boston including Boston Latin School (53%). More Roxbury Prep students scored advanced or proficient than students in Brookline (49%), Harvard (49%), and Marblehead (49%).
•On the 7 th grade English test, Roxbury Prep had the 2 nd highest percentage of students
scoring advanced or proficient (82%) of any predominantly Black school in the state and the 3 rd highest percentage of any non-exam public school in Boston. More Roxbury Prep students scored advanced or proficient than students in Medford (69%), Wakefield (73%), and Beverly (76%).
•On the 6 th grade math test, Roxbury Prep had the highest percentage of students scoring advanced or proficient (76%) of any predominantly Black school in the state and the highest percentage of any public school in Boston. More Roxbury Prep students scored advanced or proficient than students in Concord (64%), Weston (66%), and Newton (72%). “At Roxbury Prep, we do not shy away from the MCAS because we believe in accountability. The MCAS provides a standard by which families, communities, and lawmakers can evaluate the quality and effectiveness of education across the state. Roxbury Prep’s 2003 MCAS results are proof that, with access to a high quality education, urban students of color can excel academically,â€