Great update on Roxbury Prep

Roxbury Prep's mostly low-income entirely minority students not only closed the achievement gap, they reversed it!  A higher percentage of 8th grade math students there passed the rigorous MCAS test than at any other school in the state!

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Roxbury Prep Students Best in State – Close Achievement Gap
Roxbury Prep’s 8th grade math scores highest in state

October 4, 2007 – Roxbury, MA.  On the 2007 8th grade math MCAS test, Roxbury Preparatory Charter School outperformed every school in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  Furthermore, for the fourth consecutive year, Roxbury Prep—an Intel and Scholastic School of Distinction—stands as the highest-performing urban middle school in Massachusetts.*

Roxbury Prep is a public middle school in Roxbury enrolling 200 students of color, 68 percent of whom qualify for the federal free and reduced price lunch program.
Since enrolling its first 6th grade class in 1999, Roxbury Prep has redefined what families can expect from urban public education.  On six of the seven MCAS tests administered in 2007, the percentage of Roxbury Prep students scoring Advanced or Proficient was higher than that of the state’s white students.  Roxbury Prep demonstrates with clarity that the long-standing “racial achievement gap” can be closed.

On the 8th grade math test, Roxbury Prep had the highest percentage of students scoring Advanced or Proficient (94%) of any school in Massachusetts.  Roxbury Prep students scored Advanced or Proficient at a higher rate than students in Wayland (82%), Wellesley (74%), and Weston (74%).  Moreover, Roxbury Prep students outperformed students attending the prestigious Boston Latin School (90%).

“At Roxbury Prep, we believe strongly in accountability; therefore, we look forward to the MCAS.  Since the Education Reform Act was passed in 1993, families, communities, and lawmakers have had an opportunity to evaluate the quality and effectiveness of education across the state,” claims Dana Lehman, the school’s Co-Director.  “If schools do not ensure that students make measurable academic progress each year, then changes need to be made—families and the public need to know which schools are performing and which schools are not.”  She continues, “Roxbury Prep has consistently shown that, with access to a high-quality education, urban students of color will excel academically.”

Roxbury Prep teachers are passionate about improving the literacy and numeracy skills of their students.  According to the school’s eighth grade Math Problem Solving teacher, Alexis Rosenblatt, “Before arriving at Roxbury Prep, many of our students have struggled during their academic careers – several did not know basic multiplication tables and had trouble reading fluently.  Our response was: ‘Make a way out of no way.’  We feel an incredible sense of urgency to prepare our students to enter, succeed in, and graduate from college.  At our school, fifty minutes of class time is fifty minutes of teaching and learning.”  Roxbury Prep places an intense focus on its core academic program.  Every student participates in two language arts classes and two mathematics classes each day, as well as classes in social studies and science.  Extended learning occurs before school, after school, during occasional Saturday School sessions, and through summer opportunities.

Josh Phillips, the school’s other Co-Director, quickly points out that there is room for improvement.  “It is evident from our 8th grade math results that Roxbury Prep students are more than capable of outperforming students in the state’s most affluent communities like Weston and Wellesley.  Nevertheless, until we outperform the affluent suburbs on every single test, we must continue to refine our curriculum, work more effectively, and persevere.”  He added, “Our students, families, and teachers work incredibly hard and their accomplishments should be celebrated.  It is our responsibility to continue forging ahead until we outperform every middle school in Massachusetts, and eventually, the nation.”  

Despite the continued controversy surrounding standardized tests, Phillips sees the MCAS as an important advocacy tool for students and families, especially students and families of color.  He argues, “Without the MCAS and education reform, families, community activists, and lawmakers would have a difficult time holding schools accountable for their performance.  Unfortunately, students would continue to receive an inadequate education.”  Lehman adds, “A high level of academic achievement is possible for every student at every school regardless of race and socioeconomic status.  As I have said many times, every child is capable of learning; it is the school’s job to make sure that they do so.  Roxbury Prep’s performance on the 2007 MCAS should inspire families and community leaders statewide to demand a higher-quality education for low-income students and students of color.”

Roxbury Preparatory Charter School is a charter public school founded to offer Boston’s students a rigorous, college preparatory education.  Roxbury Prep’s mission is to prepare its students to enter, succeed in, and graduate from college.  For more information about Roxbury Prep, please visit www.roxburyprep.org  .

*Middle schools serve students in grades 5-8 or 6-8 exclusively.  Among all urban public schools serving students in grades 6-8 (including K-8, 5-12, and 6-12 schools), Roxbury Prep had the 2nd highest percentage of students scoring advanced or proficient on the MCAS tests – behind the K-8 Community Day Charter School in Lawrence, MA.