Independent charters achieved a rate of 27% proficient or above in Math and 34% proficient or above in English Language Arts, compared to 17% in Math and 27% in ELA in the district. Put another way, independent charter schools’ proficiency scores are 59% higher in Math and 26% higher in ELA than the district scores. While this helps close the achievement gap, certainly we know that there is much more work to ensure that all students are learning at or above grade level expectations.
The Badger Exam replaced the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examinations (WKCE) for students in grades three through eight last school year. According to DPI, “there are significant differences between the Badger and WKCE exams, which negates comparing results to prior years.” One noteworthy trait of the Badger Exam is that it was touted as being more difficult, involving higher-level thinking.
Our analysis includes schools that we consider “independent” from the district, which includes 2R schools authorized by UW-Milwaukee and the City of Milwaukee, and non-instrumentalities authorized by the district.