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[quote=Anonymous][quote]
Anonymous wrote:

I don’t think a persistent achievement gap is a Fundations problem. I think it’s a school attendance problem.

OP and others are ascribing the test results to choice of curriculum when in DCPS, the primary problem is getting kids into the classroom and actually engaging with the curriculum on a regular basis. If a child misses 5-8 days a month of kindergarten (which is common in DC), you could have the very best curriculum taught by a literal expert in it and the child would still not be reading at grade level unless they are getting lots of support at home (which a kid missing 25-40% of their school year is not likely getting).

I was actually surprised by how good DCPS's reading curriculum is because based on what I knew of the district, I expected them to be way behind the curve in terms of pedagogy. They aren't. Also, DCPS teachers are, on average, extremely well qualified as compared to other districts. [b]If every student in DCPS was middle or UM class, I think our reading scores would be phenomenal.[/b]

I have bigger questions about the math curriculum, and I think kids are not doing enough writing and there is an over-reliance on app-based programs. But those issues would also apply to many of the suburban school districts. If you have a kid without special needs who has good support at home, they will likely do well with DCPS's curriculum. If changes are needed, that's not where they are. Likely we need more outreach/support for at risk kids, additional tutoring resources via after school programs, and a better intervention program that identifies kids who are falling behind and gets them the resources they need. But we actually have all that, it just doesn't always work.
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Yep. Remember that 45% of the kids attending DCPS are "at risk"---which is defined as homeless, in foster care, or on public assistance or a year older than grade.  "At Risk" is a  high poverty metric.  So additional factors:

Grammatically correct English not being spoken in the home
   No English at all being spoken in the home
    No exposure to books or reading of any kind in the home.
    Food insecurity.  Housing insecurity.
     No regularity to sleep schedules.
    Endless exposure to TV and screens
    Exposure to violence and other  traumas

There is SO SO much more at  play in those literacy percentages than the curriculum.  
[/quote]

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