#LasallianLife
Quality Education
November 4, 2022
One of the “Five Core Principles of Lasallian Education” is “Quality Education.” The Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools frequently defines “Quality Education” as, “More than facts, figures and skills. Genuine education forms a person slowly towards spiritual maturity and responsible character. Lasallian schools intentionally educate a wide range of students by providing a comprehensive curriculum with solid, diverse programs that meet recognized standards of excellence.”
Quite often, my LasallianLife anecdotes reflect on stories of the heart. One of the beauties of De La Salle's educational vision was that it was both practical and spiritual. Academic rigor formed students for daily, earthly, "success." Vigilance of the conscience formed students for eternal "success." Today, I indulge the former math teacher that remains inside of me by reflecting, congratulating, and thanking our community by sharing some recent data...
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic we were primarily concerned with the holistic and human support of our students. While, simultaneously, we were constantly focused on the academic progress of our students. Specifically, despite the immense challenges, how do we ensure the continued academic progress of the students entrusted to our care? Recent testing data has begun to reveal the results of our collective efforts...
As you may have followed, overall assessment data throughout the United States fell to nearly unprecedented levels. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona called the decline in scores "appalling" and "unacceptable."
I would like to congratulate our community on continuing the work of our Founder by providing 'Quality Education" throughout even the most challenging of times! While national ACT data fell to a 30 year low average of 19.8 out of 36, the CBA class of 2022 averaged 30.6 out of 36. Exceptional academic performance was not simply a data point at CBA, it can be found permeating all grade levels. This is supported by the following 8th grade Math and ELA scores:
The achievements of our collective community were accomplished against the backdrop of startling national statistics. The following summary is from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES):
- National average score declines in mathematics for eighth-graders were the largest ever recorded in that subject.
- There were no improvements in mathematics in any state or large urban district.
Despite these troubling national scores, Catholic schools, like ourselves, continued to achieve quality education for all. Kathleen Porter-Magee recently wrote in the Wall Street Journal:
Catholic-school students now boast the nation’s highest scale scores on all four NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) tests. . . When disaggregated by race, Catholic schools showed significant gains since 2019. In particular, achievement among black students enrolled in Catholic schools increased by 10 points (about an extra year’s worth of learning), while black students in public schools lost 5 points and black students in charter schools lost 8 points.
Ms. Porter-Magee also observed on Twitter that "If Catholic schools were a state, they’d be the highest performing in the nation on all four NAEP tests."
Thank you to our teachers, staff members, students, parents, and alumni who supported our students in their Lasallian Catholic education throughout these past few challenging years. As a Lasallian Catholic school, we have continued the “Quality Education” that was gifted to us from our Founder. Congratulations to all! May the academic success of Lasallian education continue for generations to come!
Mr. Matthew Keough
President, Christian Brothers Academy
