Janney Elementary School

DC BAS testing takes place at the beginning of the year and 2 additional times during the school year in grades 3-5. The tests are given to all District of Columbia Public School (DCPS) students in the appropriate grades. Test results are used to help teachers assess how much of the prior year's curriculum was retained by the students, how much is being learned and where futher work is needed. The assessments also provide educators with information about how our students are progressing on each of the catagories in reading and math that are assessed on the end-of-the-year state exam, the DC-CAS.

The DC CAS is a group of tests taken by DCPS students in grades 3 through 8 and grade 10, to measure their knowledge and skills in math, reading, science and writing. The results of the tests are used in several ways to provide comprehensive and targeted support directly to schools and to the classroom. For example, teachers and administrators use the results to identify students’ strengths and weaknesses and to enhance their teaching strategies to better improve students’ performance. At the district level, DCPS uses the results to support administrators during the budgeting process to ensure they have the necessary resources to reach their school goals. State and federal agencies use the results to measure how well schools are serving all students under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Most importantly, parents can use the results to identify areas in which their children may need more help at home. The results indicate if students are performing at an Advanced, Proficient, Basic and Below Basic levels. Proficient means a student is working at grade level.

What types of questions are on the DC CAS?
• Constructed response questions, which prompt students to compose narrative answers.
• Multiple choice questions, in which students select answers from 4 choices.

What can parents and families do to help their children with the DC CAS?
• One of the most important things families can do is to make sure that their children are
at school on the test days which are scheduled in the spring (late April-early May)

Additional tips for parents include:
• Ensure that children are getting a good night rest.
• Make sure that children are eating well.
• Remind children that the DC CAS is NOT a timed test; they can take as much
time as they need to complete the test.
• Encourage them to respond to every question. They will not lose points for
guessing, so they should select the most likely responses and try their best!

For more information please visit see the DCPS website.

Janney DC CAS Results 2009

Janney’s overall performance in the 2009 DC Comprehensive Assessment System Test (CAS) places it among top schools in the city.

In 2008-2009 Janney student's reading scores continued to rise, going from 83.4% (proficient or higher) in 2007 to 87.8 % in 2008 to 90.84% in 2009. Math scores went from 80.6% in 2007 to 88.98% in 2008 to 85.5% in 2009. In 2009, Janney was the second highest school in the city in reading scores (behind Mann) and third in math (behind Mann and Lafayette and tied with Key).

Proficiency Goals (As Measured by DC-CAS Results):

* Adequate Yearly Progress: 94% Proficient and Advanced in Reading and 90% Proficient
and Advanced in Math
* 4% Increase in the number of student scoring Advanced
* 10% Reduction in Achievement Gap
* 25% Increase in the number of students scoring Proficient or Advanced as part of the Special Education sub-group

Comprehensive Levers to Reach Proficiency Goals (As Measured by DC-CAS, Classroom Assessments and Classroom Observations):

* Inclusion
* Efficacy
* Purposeful Decision-Making

Long-Term Goal

* Community Service/Service Learning to Drive Thematic Instruction (“community out”)
* Community Resources to Supplement and Enliven Instruction (“community in”)