The Oregonian
July 13, 2004

Arthur Academy Students Gain in Achievement Tests
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The results show students at the David Douglas charter school made strides in reading and math.

By: TRACY JAN

Every kindergartner who has entered Arthur Academy since the David Douglas charter school opened in 2002 has learned to read in nine months.

Students practice stretching out the sounds in one-syllable words the first week of school. By February, they read full sentences and short stories. By June, they digest longer stories, understand bigger words and no longer have to sound out every letter.

Stanford Achievement Test results released Monday show that Arthur Academy students -- kindergarten through second grade -- made dramatic strides in reading and math in one year.

Last fall, the 20-student 2003-04 kindergarten class, on average, scored in the 35th percentile in reading in the national test; by spring they finished in the 88th percentile. Math scores jumped from the 46th percentile to the 77th percentile during that same period.

The improvement continues as students enter the first grade, test results show. The 2002-03 kindergarten class, on average, scored in the 58th percentile when they entered the school two years ago; they finished kindergarten reading in the 90th percentile. In the spring, the 36-member class finished first-grade reading in the 94th percentile.

The same first-graders scored in the 92nd percentile in math. Their kindergarten math scores had jumped from the 58th percentile to the 87th percentile.

The 2003-04 second-grade class scored in the 80th percentile in reading; their kindergarten scores are unknown because they started at the school as first-graders. Their first-grade reading scores had jumped from the 36th percentile to the 65th percentile. The same 18 second-graders scored in the 78th percentile in math in the spring. Their first-grade math scores had gone from the 38th percentile to the 69th percentile.

Testing at the 50th percentile means students' reading and math skills are on par with the national average for their grade level. Most Arthur Academy students enter the school performing below grade level on tests but finish ahead, said Charles Arthur, the charter school's co-founder.

Arthur, principal of the school, attributes his students' gains to the Direct Instruction and Core Knowledge curriculums, which emphasize learning in bite-sized sequences. Students learn to read in small groups during repetitive drills, a method most noncharter public elementaries do not use for mainstream students.

The David Douglas Arthur Academy, at 13717 S.E. Division St. in Portland, will expand to include third grade in September. Oregon students begin taking state standardized tests in the third grade. Until then, it is difficult to compare Arthur Academy students' achievements with those of students in Oregon's traditional public schools.

Arthur and co-founder Rob Kremer also plan to open two new branches of Arthur Academy in the Reynolds and Woodburn school districts in September. The Reynolds Arthur Academy, at 123 S.W. 21st St. in Troutdale, will be headed by Peggy Concillo, a former Lake Oswego elementary teacher. The school will start with 75 kindergartners through second-graders but will eventually expand to include the fifth grade.

The Woodburn Arthur Academy, at 591 Gatch St., will be headed by Cheeri Glenn, a former special-education teacher and administrator in the Hillsboro and Clackamas school districts. The K-2 school currently enrolls about 40 students, more than half of whom have Latino surnames, Kremer said. School officials will go door-to-door tonight in Woodburn's Latino communities to try to increase enrollment.

Although Portland Public Schools approved Arthur Academy's charter application, Arthur said he will delay opening in Portland until fall 2005 because of difficulties finding school leadership and a location, which he hopes will be in Northeast Portland.

"We know there's an interest there, but we just couldn't see it through this year," Arthur said. "And that's fine. You can't rush these things."

Tracy Jan: 503-294-5970; tracyjan@news.oregonian.com