*Soon-to-be eighth graders at LeBron James’ I Promise School in Akron, Ohio haven’t passed the math part of the state proficiency exam in three years.
In 2018, the LeBron James Family Foundation started the school as a part of the Akron Public Schools system, to assist at-risk students. As the New York Post reports, citing the Akron Beacon Journal, the last time the students passed the state’s math test, they were in the third grade.
One Akron Public Schools official described the distressing test results as “discouraging.”
“It is discouraging,” said Keith Liechty-Clifford, the district’s director of school improvement, according to the New York Post.
A spokesperson for the foundation shared the long-term goals of the organization in response to reports about the school’s math test scores.
“When we started this work to wraparound students through education, we entered this partnership with Akron Public School for the long haul,” a LeBron James Family Foundation spokesperson told Complex on Monday. “Because this work requires a long term commitment, hard work, and a lot of love and care. And that’s what we bring each and every day because the I Promise School is more than a school. We’re here for the ups and downs, and will continue to wraparound our students and their entire families so they can be successful in school and in life, no matter the challenges and obstacles that come their way.”
The school’s new principal, Stephanie Davis, expressed similar optimism in a separate statement to Complex.
“One of the things I’m most excited about coming into the I Promise School is the optimism and energy around getting our students to a level of achievement we know they’re capable of,” Davis said in an email.
“At the recent Board meeting, our preliminary OST data was shared, but it’s important to note that proficiency is based on mastering grade-level standards. Our students have not yet met the grade-level mastery mark but they are demonstrating growth based on iReady scores,” Davis continued.
“Of our incoming 8th graders, 32% met their annual typical growth in reading while 11% met their stretch goal for the year. Despite not mastering the grade-level standards, 42% of students demonstrated growth in iReady math across their 7th grade school year. When working with students who are achieving below grade level, growth is as important as a measure of progress as proficiency. And the type of growth that is important to us is not made overnight. It takes time,” Davis shared, Complex reports.
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