How did New Castle County students perform on ELA portion of 2023-24 DeSSA Alternate Assessment?

Dr. Mark Holodick Delaware Superintedent of Education | https://education.delaware.gov/about-doe/leadership/secretary_of_education/

By North New Castle News

Apr 7, 2025

DeSSA Alternate Assessment results are in, and 27.2% of New Castle County students were considered proficient in ELA 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 student's overall success rate in the subject remained unchanged from the previous school year.

Compared to other counties across Delaware, New Castle County students were considered the best-performing students in ELA section of the DeSSA Alternate Assessment at the time.

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.

ELA Proficiency Rates on DeSSA Alternate Assessment Over 4 Years: New Castle vs. Delaware

Delaware Students Performance on ELA Portion of 2023-24 DeSSA Alternate Assessment

County	Proficiency Rate (%)	Total Students Tested
New Castle County	27.2%	92
Sussex County	14.5%	55

ORGANIZATIONS IN THIS STORY

Alfred G. Waters Middle School• Meadowood Program• Read (george) Middle School• Redding (louis L.) Middle School• Southern Elementary School• Brookside Elementary School• Townsend Elementary School• Shue-Medill Middle School

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