Our Scholars Dramatically Outperform Their Peers
Empowerment Academy serves a student population which mirrors that of the Jersey City Public Schools district (“JCPS”) in its diverse demographic composition, except Empowerment’s student population is more economically disadvantaged (69% vs 51%).
On the New Jersey State Learning Assessments that traditional and charter public schools administer at the end of each school year, the statewide English Language Arts and Math proficiency rates for economically disadvantaged students is 27% lower than the proficiency rate for non-economically disadvantaged students.
So statistically speaking, Empowerment Academy’s LESS economically advantaged students should not do as well as their MORE economically advantaged Jersey City peers.
But throughout its history, Empowerment Academy’s students have consistently defied the odds and outperformed their economically more advantaged local peers on these state assessments. Take a look at the two tables, below.
At the end of the 2018-2019 school year, the proficiency rate of Empowerment Academy’s students in demographic subgroup after demographic subgroup was significantly higher than the proficiency rate of their more economically advantaged subgroup peers in the Jersey City Public Schools district.
And this was also the case at the end of school year 2021-2022, the first time following the Covid Pandemic that state assessments were again administered at New Jersey’s public schools.
Student learning in New Jersey was significantly set back by the Pandemic and the closing of public schools to in-person instruction.
But at Empowerment Academy, learning growth is on back on the rise!
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