DeSSA Alternate Assessment results are in, and 8.9% of Christina School District students were considered proficient in Science in the 2023-24 school year, according to the Delaware Open Data. This is lower than the average proficiency level recorded in the state.
The Delaware System of Student Assessments (DeSSA) is a group of statewide standardized tests measuring student performance in math, English, and science for students in grades 3 through 8 and 11.
In comparison to other school districts across Delaware, Red Clay Consolidated School District students were considered the best-performing students in the Science section of the DeSSA Alternate Assessment at the time, with a proficiency rate of 24%.
Based on overall performance, Red Clay Consolidated School District students also fared the best on the DeSSA Alternate Assessment in the 2023-24 school year.
Governor Matt Meyer declared a ‘literacy emergency’ after NAEP scores released in 2024 showed Delaware eighth-graders’ reading proficiency hit a 27-year low. That year, only 41% of eighth-graders were considered proficient in reading, while 49% did not meet the math benchmarks of the national assessment.
Fourth-graders showed slight improvements in both subjects compared to 2023 but still remained below pre-pandemic levels.
| District | Proficiency Rate (%) | Total Students Tested |
|---|---|---|
| Red Clay Consolidated School District | 24% | 25 |
| Appoquinimink School District | 16.3% | 43 |
| Christina School District | 8.9% | 79 |
Information in this article was obtained from the Delaware Open Data. The source data can be found here.
