ERNA DC Testifies at Public Oversight Hearing on Academic Achievement
Jessica Giles
Executive Director
Education Reform Now Advocacy - DC
Committee of the Whole Hearing: Academic Achievement
Good afternoon, Chairman Mendelson, members, and staff of the Committee of the Whole. My name is Jessica Giles. I am a ward seven resident and the Executive Director of the D.C. Chapter of Education Reform Now Advocacy, a non-profit organization committed to advocating for a just and equitable public education system for all students in the nation’s capital. I am pleased to testify today at the Committee of the Whole’s public oversight hearing on Academic Achievement.
Washington, D.C. can lead the nation in academic achievement. When I speak with education advocates in other parts of the country about D.C., they are amazed at what leaders here have achieved:
D.C. educates our youngest learners: D.C. was the first to adopt pre-kindergarten and has the highest percentage of 3- and 4-year-olds enrolled in preschool in the country.[1]
D.C. invests in students: D.C. has the highest base funding ($14,668 per student) in the country.[2]
D.C. supports educators: D.C. has the highest starting teacher salary in the country.[3]
D.C. commits to adult education: D.C. has one of the largest adult learner populations in the country, if not the largest. 47 percent of adult learners attend publicly funded schools.
There is no doubt about it - funding is essential for academic achievement, but how states and local education agencies (LEAs) use their funding is even more crucial. While there have been slight improvements in academic outcomes since the nationwide COVID-19-related drop in proficiency, D.C. students continue to experience deep disparities in academic achievement between student groups in literacy and math.
D.C.’s high chronic absenteeism and truancy rates undoubtedly play a significant factor in our low proficiency rates. In the 2023–24 school year, 39.2 percent of students were chronically absent (3.9 percent decrease), and 30.3 percent were chronically truant (6.6 percent decrease).[4] High school students, in particular, continue to struggle with attendance. Last year, 56 percent of high school students were chronically absent, and 31 percent were chronically truant. These challenges, while enormous, can be addressed at the state level, and we are optimistic that recent shifts in policy and practice will continue to yield positive outcomes.
Improve D.C. Student Literacy Rates
In 2024, about a third of D.C. students met or exceeded grade-level expectations in English Language Arts on the DC CAPE.[5] This represents a 0.3 percent increase over last year. There was a 58 percent point gap between Black and white students and a 50-point gap between Hispanic/Latino and white students. Economically disadvantaged students (18.4 percent), Homeless (15.5 percent), English learners (12.9 percent), and students with disabilities (9.7) lagged behind their peers.
For several years, we’ve been advocating for the District to fully fund science of reading training and coaching for all elementary educators to improve how students learn to read. In the fiscal year 2025 budget, however, the Mayor and D.C. Council funded only some of the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) Early Literacy Education Task Force recommendations.[6] Namely, $2.2 million in high-quality instruction materials, and $566k in fiscal year 2025 and $2.9 million in fiscal year 2026-2028 for kindergarten structured literacy training and coaching pilot at up to 20 schools.[7] Still, there are far too many first through fifth educators without coaching and training - grades that are crucial for reading proficiency.
Our asks:
We request that the Committee of the Whole follow up with OSSE today on the implementation of FY 2025 funding.
We urge the Mayor and D.C. Council to continue their commitment to D.C. students by funding science of reading training and coaching for all elementary educators and providing strong oversight of implementation efforts, particularly where there are areas to improve.[8]
Strengthen D.C. Students’ Math Proficiency Rates
In 2024, only 22.5 percent of students who took the math DC CAPE assessment met or exceeded grade-level expectations in math, a 0.7 percent increase over last year. There was a 65 percent point gap between Black and white students, and a 51-point gap between Hispanic/Latino and white students. Economically disadvantaged students (8.5 percent), Homeless (7.1 percent), English learners (9.6 percent), and students with disabilities (7.6 percent) greatly lagged their peers. While these scores only represent a snapshot in time, they are a mirror to the deep chasms of inequities that exist in D.C. overall, and in our public schools. Although our students, educators, and parents are confronted with these challenges, we believe that everyone can be a math person.
We’ve been advocating for D.C. to improve math education for all students in the District with the launch of the Math 4 All campaign.[9] The Math 4 All campaign advocates for the adoption of a statewide strategy for addressing students’ low math skills. D.C.’s statewide strategy must include High-Impact Tutoring, strengthening a math teacher pipeline, providing high-quality instruction materials and professional development, and stong parent/caregiver support.
High-Impact Tutoring
Tutoring that is intensive, frequent, personalized, curriculum-aligned, and delivered by a skilled educator. Research shows that D.C. Economically disadvantaged students, who participated in high-impact tutoring (HIT) programs saw a median increase of three points in math scale scores on the DC CAPE assessment, compared to a median increase of only one point for students who did not participate in HIT programs.[10]
High Quality instruction Materials (HQIM) and professional learning opportunities that support students with disabilities.
D.C. should develop a list of high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) and require LEAs to choose from this approved list. Investing in and adopting high-quality instructional materials provides teachers with easy access to top-tier content and assignments, ensuring that students engage daily with grade-level material.
This approach helps students build conceptual understanding, develop procedural skills and fluency, and apply their knowledge to real-world challenges. It is critical that not only do teachers have access to these materials, but they are also trained on how to apply the materials to the classroom. These professional learning opportunities should focus on teaching how to get students on grade level that are already behind.
A high-quality math teacher pipeline.
Teachers are the number one in-school factor for student academic achievement. D.C. is in need of a high-quality math teacher pipeline. In the Office of the State Superintendent of Education’s (OSSE) recent Educator Workforce report, it is revealed that there were slightly less math teachers (12 percent) than English Language Arts teachers (15 percent) in the 2023-2024 school year.[11] Having high-quality educators is essential.
Support for parents and caregivers by establishing a list of easy-to-use high-quality tools, resources, and games to support caregivers at home.
These resources empower caregivers to reinforce classroom lessons, making learning more engaging and accessible for students. By equipping parents with effective strategies and materials, we can help bridge the gap between school and home, fostering a stronger partnership that promotes academic success and supports students' overall development.
Our asks:
As OSSE convenes the Interagency Math Task Force, we ask them to adopt the Math 4 All pillars in their recommendations, and for their recommendations to be funded in the fiscal year 2025 budget.
Support the passage of B25-0800 - Mathematics Education Improvement Amendment Act of 2024.[12]
In closing, all students can learn and succeed with the right support. Our District leaders can play an active and instrumental role in improving academic achievement by funding what works, so that D.C. can lead the nation. Thank you for holding this hearing and allowing me to testify. I am available to answer any questions you may have.
[1] On Its Tenth Anniversary, Here’s Where D.C.’s Free Preschool Program Stands Source: https://dcist.com/story/19/03/15/on-its-tenth-anniversary-heres-where-d-c-s-free-preschool-program-stands/
[2] The Uniform Per Student Funding Formula provides funding to all public schools and provides a weighted funding based on student demographics.
[3] National Education Association Educator Pay Data 2024. Source: https://www.nea.org/resource-library/educator-pay-and-student-spending-how-does-your-state-rank
[4] District of Columbia Attendance Report - School Year 2023-2024 Source: https://osse.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/osse/page_content/attachments/2023-24%20Attendance%20Report%20%28Final%29.pdf
[5] OSSE. 2024 Statewide Assessement Results. Source: https://osse.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/osse/page_content/attachments/2024-08-22-DCCAPE_MSAA_2324_PublicDeck_with_appendix.pdf
[6] Early Literacy Taskforce Recommendations. https://osse.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/osse/page_content/attachments/Early%20Literacy%20Task%20Force%20Report.pdf
[7] B25-0784 - Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Support Act of 2024 Source: https://lims.dccouncil.gov/Legislation/B25-0784
[8] National Council of Teacher Quality. District of Columbia: Recommendations to Strengthen Implementation of the Science of Reading Souce: https://www.nctq.org/dmsView/DCSOTSReadingProfileUpdated
[9] Math 4 All DC Campaign: https://www.math4alldc.org/
[10] National Student Support Accelerator: Implementation of the OSSE High Impact Tutoring Initiative: First Year Report School Year 2022 – 2023 Source: https://studentsupportaccelerator.org/briefs/implementation-osse-high-impact-tutoring-initiative
[11] OSSE. 2024 Educator Workforce Report. Source: https://osse.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/osse/page_content/attachments/2024%20Educator%20Workforce%20Report%20%28Oct%2028%29.pdf
WASHINGTON, DC: 4301 50th St. NW, Suite 300, #2028 NW Washington, DC 20016 · NEW YORK CITY: 276 5th Avenue, Suite 704 #915, New York, NY 10001
