Dear KIPP Baltimore Team and Family,

I am thrilled to write to you as students wrap up their fourth week of school at our new home at 2000 Edgewood Street. The dust has settled, literally and figuratively, and our 1,500 KIPPsters are diligently tackling college preparatory work, engaging in enrichment activities like dance and African American studies, and hanging on the monkey bars of our new playground, which we officially opened this Monday. The energy and urgency are palpable for students and teachers alike as we work together as a vibrant school community. We are especially grateful for your continued support as we begin this new year and next chapter for KIPP Baltimore.


I am also excited to share, below, the results of the recent CREDO study on Maryland charter schools, and our students' success on the most recent PARCC administration. Your ongoing partnership and dedication to our KIPPsters are critical as we ensure our students develop the knowledge, skills, and character strengths necessary for success in college and careers.  

Here's to a wonderful year ahead!


With gratitude,
Marsha Reeves
Executive Director
KIPP Baltimore


CREDO STUDY

In late July, an educational research institute at Stanford University (CREDO) released  a study on Maryland public charter schools. Using standardized test data over four years ending in school year 2016-17, the study analyzed the growth and achievement of students attending Maryland public charter schools compared to those attending Maryland traditional public schools. According to the findings, on average, public charter school students made greater academic progress than their peers in traditional public schools. Most notably for KIPP, the study notes that students living in poverty gained an additional 30 days of math achievement and African American students gained 41 days and 47 days in math and reading, compared with their peers attending traditional public schools.

While we recognize that standardized tests are one measure of academic and school progress, we found the study's translation of increased proficiency on state assessments into a number of increased learning days compelling, as a school that offers an extended school day and year. And, we want to take this opportunity to recognize the hard work of our public charter school community here in Baltimore City and across our state.

PARCC ASSESSMENTS

Last year, our primary academic focus was on literacy. As part of our Literacy is Life priority, we adopted the KIPP Wheatley English Language Arts (ELA) curriculum, created additional independent reading time, called "Excellence Blocks,"and rolled out classroom libraries. We are pleased to share that on the ELA portion of the PARCC assessment, KIPPsters met or exceeded our ambitious internal goals in nearly all grades. The average gain in proficiency in all tested grades was 2.78 percentage points, punctuated by an 8 point gain in grade 3 and a 7 point gain in grade 7.

KIPPsters performance on the Math administration of the PARCC assessments remained strong again in 2019, with students in grades 3,4, and 7 outperforming the district average by more than 10 points. We are especially proud of our seventh grade students, who performed with 0.3 percentage points of the State of Maryland average and who are now well positioned to receive Algebra instruction for the first time at KIPP Baltimore this year. 

At KIPP, we remain committed to providing our KIPPsters with a rigorous,culturally relevant, college preparatory curriculum that prepares them for success in high school, college, and careers. This includes elements of our program, such as our extended school day and year, which provide our students with more learning time with their lead teachers. Extended learning time is one of the key wrap around services identified by the Kirwan Commission in its recommendations for schools enrolling high concentrations of poverty, of which more than 100 were identified in Baltimore City, including KIPP. With your partnership, we look forward to continued collaboration across the district and with our State legislators to ensure all students, whether they attend charter or traditional public schools, are able to reach their fullest potential.