Why Detroit public schools reading scores are behind state levels and what DPSCD is doing to fix it

Reading proficiency among Detroit Public School students is well below grade level. Superintendent Dr. Nikolai Vitti discusses the historically low results and their efforts to improve them with FOX 2.


    • 15.9% of DPSCD students in grades 3-8 are proficient in English language arts

    • Superintendent Dr. Nikola Vitti said the students can’t be judged my numbers alone.

    • In infusion of funds and educated teachers are helping increase proficiency.

  • 15.9% of DPSCD students in grades 3-8 are proficient in English language arts

  • Superintendent Dr. Nikola Vitti said the students can’t be judged my numbers alone.

  • In infusion of funds and educated teachers are helping increase proficiency.

DETROIT (FOX 2):According to recent test results, some kids in the Detroit Public Schools Community District are three grades below their peers in the state in terms of reading proficiency.

English language arts proficiency is 15.9% among pupils in grades 3–8. That figure is 1.3% greater than it was the previous year.

Why are DPSCD students behind?

It’s still unclear why students are falling behind. Superintendent Dr. Nikolai Vitti stated that the pupils should not be evaluated only on the statistics and that a comprehensive approach is required to find a solution.

“Our students are much more talented than those numbers,” stated Vitti.

Absenteeism and truancy are among the most significant facts. Getting children to attend class is important because if they skip less school, their grades will increase by three or five times.

“That also tells us our teachers in our schools are generally doing the right thing, we just have to have kids show up more regularly,” Vitti stated.

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Are scores improving?

In actuality, schools have made gains overall, but certain grades—especially third-grade reading proficiency—are lagging behind.

In the previous year, 11.7% of third graders read at or above grade level, a minor decrease of less than a percentage point.

“What we should be doing is what we are doing,” stated Vitti. “DPSCD has shown more improvement in grade level performance being at and above grade level than the state of Michigan and better than 80 percent of large urban school districts.”

What is DPSCD doing to solve the low scores?

DPSCD changed the curriculum and hired more college-educated staff to work one-on-one with pupils as part of a multi-year initiative to boost reading. Additionally, the district expanded its summer and after-school activities.

A right-to-read settlement gave the district more than $90 million to support literacy instruction. School board member Sherry Gay Dagnogo says the literacy tutoring program after school is also helping.

“I think when we show that interest and celebrate them, we re going to see the needle moving even further with proficiency and reading,” Dagnogo stated.

The Detroit Public Schools Community District and the State of Michigan donated the research data used by FOX 2.

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