Penn Study Finds Camden Schools Narrowing Proficiency Gap with State

“Camden public schools have narrowed the gap between city and state proficiency in both math and reading since 2014, according to a study released today by ImpactED, a research and evaluation center based at the University of Pennsylvania.

The report, Narrowing the Gap: A Longitudinal Analysis of Enrollment and Student Performance in Grades 3-8, used publicly available data accessible through the New Jersey Department of Education for its analysis.

Authored by ImpactED researchers Nina Gallagher, Sarah Pepper, and Claire Robertson-Kraft, the study analyzed proficiency data from 2014-15 to 2018-19. Proficiency data was not available for 2019-20 because testing was suspended due to Covid-19.  

The report’s key findings include: 

• Since 2014, across grades 3-8, Camden schools have narrowed the proficiency gap with the state in both math and reading

• Since 2014, across grades 3-8, student proficiency in Camden has nearly doubled n both math and reading

• In nearly every elementary and middle grade, student proficiency has increased since 2014 and the proficiency gap with the state has narrowed 

In addition to the findings on student proficiency, the study also examined enrollment trends and found that renaissance schools enrolled a similar proportion of students with disabilities as district schools.”