Department of Defense Schools Surge, Assisted By Benchmark Education Company's Benchmark Advance
The DOD school system has outperformed all 50 states on reading scores for both fourth and eighth graders.
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., Oct. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading educational publisher Benchmark Education Company (BEC) celebrates the reading achievements of fourth and eighth-grade students in the network of schools run by the U.S. Department of Defense. As detailed in the article, "Who Runs the Best U.S. Schools? It May Be the Defense Department," published in The New York Times on October 10, 2023, Defense Department schools, attended by the children of U.S. military members and civilian employees, have been showing results rarely seen in public education. This success was fueled partly by a major curriculum overhaul that began in 2015 and includes Benchmark Advance, BEC's core language arts program.
According to the article, Defense Department schools, which are typically on military bases and serve about 66,000 students, "quietly achieve results most educators can only dream of." The schools have been performing well for years and continued to do so during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, Defense Department schools outperformed all 50 states on reading and math scores for both fourth and eighth graders on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Reading and Mathematics Assessments. Often called "The Nation's Report Card," NAEP is the only nationally representative and continuing assessment of what American students know and can do in various subject areas. Students at Defense Department schools have also shown smaller learning gaps between white and both Black and Hispanic students than other schools do. In fact, at Defense Department schools, the reading scores of Black and Hispanic eighth graders exceeded those of white students nationwide on average.
The Times article further states that Defense officials attribute the elevated test scores in part to the school system's academic overhaul, designed using principles of the Common Core to raise the level of rigor expected of students. Launched eight years ago and still in place, the revamped curriculum incorporated Benchmark Advance, an award-winning program that provides a cohesive structure for the development of literacy skills and content knowledge and has been validated by research and independent reviewers.
"The vision and dedication of the educators within the Department of Defense have inspired us all," BEC Founder and CEO Tom Reycraft said. "We are delighted that Benchmark Advance could help bring that vision to life, resulting in the outstanding academic achievements of DoDEA students."
To learn more about Benchmark Advance, visit www.BenchmarkAdvance.com.
ABOUT BENCHMARK EDUCATION COMPANY
Benchmark Education Company (BEC) is a leading publisher of core, supplemental, and intervention literacy and language resources in English and Spanish. BEC is also a provider of exceptional professional development to educators.
BEC is recognized as a responsive publisher that offers equally rigorous and engaging digital, print, and hybrid learning materials grounded in the Science of Reading research. BEC monitors research outcomes carefully to create effective foundational resources that include strong decoding materials with systematic and explicit instruction and high-quality resources focused on language development and comprehension. BEC's content-rich and authentic texts offer instruction in close reading and analysis, multiple perspectives, and authentic literature while building world knowledge and reflecting the individuality of every student in each diverse classroom.
Family owned and operated, BEC is committed to partnering with educators to provide the best for all students through resources of exceptional quality, world-class professional learning, and effective and dedicated customer support.
SOURCE Benchmark Education Company
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