Results were mixed for black CMS students who took the 2009 state tests, commonly called EOGs and EOCs.
While test scores of African American students generally inched closer to those of their white counterparts, wide disparities remained. And in some of the CMS schools that are most heavily African American, scores were disappointing.
For example, while 80 percent of white students scored at or above grade level on science tests given in fifth and eighth grade, only 34 percent of black students did.
Likewise, while 93 percent of white high school students score at or above grade level on Algebra I tests, only 69 percent of African Americans did.
Overall, CMS students made progress in 22 of 23 areas tested, district officials said Wednesday.
“The numbers are going in the right direction and we’re very pleased about that,” said CMS Superintendent Peter Gorman. “But we’re not satisfied. We’d like to see gains at a faster rate.”
Gorman said more improvement is needed especially for so-called subgroups — African Americans, Hispanics and economically disadvantaged students. Those groups tended to score significantly lower than their white and more affluent counterparts.
The good news is that, among high school students, the achievement gap narrowed in every subject matter, ranging from a 12-point gain in chemistry to a 1-point gain in physics.
The chart below shows how CMS high school student performed based on race and income.
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