Sharing Best Practices

Closing the gap: How one school district went about fixing standardized science test scores

10.15.2013--Georgene Collier's 5th Grade class shows off their individual Portfolio Projects. Zach Gonzalez (left) and Dakota Fort chose Aviation as their Portfolio Project. Zach, whose father is a pilot, drew a "Blue Angels" F/A-18 Hornet and Dakota built a A-10 Warthog used mainly to hurt and destroy tanks and heavy machinery. Photo by Joe Angeles/WUSTL Photos
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A unique, long-term partnership between Washington University and the Hazelwood School District is showing eye-popping, unprecedented success in elementary and middle school science test scores — and in the process providing a roadmap for other districts to follow. The district saw scores on the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) tests increase 22.4 percentage points for fifth graders, and 12 percentage points for 8th graders over a five-year period beginning in 2008, the year it began a collaboration with WUSTL’s Institute for School Partnership.

Read more about WashU’s collaboration with Hazelwood School District in The Source.