Superintendent Lawson says Brandywine Smarter Balanced scores show multi‑year improvement but remain below pre‑pandemic levels
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Summary
Superintendent Lawson reviewed recently released Smarter Balanced results, saying district ELA and math proficiency rates rose and Brandywine now ranks fourth in ELA and fifth in math among Delaware districts, while emphasizing the test is a single point‑in‑time measure and not the sole indicator of student learning.
Superintendent Lawson presented the district’s newly released Smarter Balanced Assessment results at the Aug. 18 meeting, highlighting modest gains in both English language arts (ELA) and mathematics while cautioning that the assessment is a single‑day snapshot and does not capture the full range of students’ skills or growth.
She summarized the results for grades 3–8: 45% of Brandywine students met or exceeded grade‑level ELA standards (achievement levels 3 or 4) and 37% met or exceeded math standards. An additional 22% of students scored at Level 2 in ELA and 25% in math — results Lawson said represent students "nearly meeting" standards and often reflect missing one or a small number of items to reach proficiency. "Smarter scores do not define our children, their full potential," Lawson said, adding the district will use multiple measures to track student outcomes.
Lawson also presented state comparisons: Brandywine’s ELA proficiency rose to put the district fourth in Delaware and math rose to fifth in the state for the most recent school year. She said district ELA and math proficiency trends have been improving over the last three years but have not yet returned to pre‑pandemic levels.
The superintendent recognized new teachers and facilities staff for summer preparation work and invited families to share first‑day photos on the district website. She said the district will continue to present a fuller suite of outcome data to the board across the year rather than relying on any single metric.
No formal action was required on the superintendent’s report.
Context: Lawson framed Smarter Balanced as a summative evaluation with single cut scores for proficiency levels and urged readers to consider achievement levels as a continuum when understanding student learning and progress.
