Majority Of NYC Students Not On Track To Graduate Despite Progress In Test Scores
BUFFALO, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- New test results show most New York elementary and middle school students still aren't on track to graduate, but education leaders saw progress in gains in math across all races and economic levels.
State education officials on Thursday released results of English and math tests given to students in grades 3 through 8 in April. It was the second year tests were based on the Common Core curriculum adopted by most states to improve college readiness.
Mayor Bill de Blasio has declared the results "good news," WCBS 880's Alex Silverman reported.
"It's very nice to have a moment we can celebrate some good, but it is never a moment to rest on our laurels. It's only a chance to reload and go deeper because we have a lot of work ahead," de Blasio said.
NYC Students' Test Scores See Progress In Math, Steady In English
Once again, less than a third of students, 31 percent, scored well enough in English to be considered proficient and on track to graduate college-ready.
"This doesn't mean that our kids aren't reading and writing," NYC schools Chancellor Carmen Farina said. "It means that in order to be ready for the workforce of tomorrow, you need more than to just be on average level. You need to be on proficiency and mastery level, which is really different than what we've expected in the past."
As Silverman reported, using the old standards, this year's test scores would have been in the 90 percent range.
Farina said we've almost been living in a "fool's paradise."
As 1010 WINS' Carol D'Auria reported, as teachers receive more training and parents become more involved in students' schoolwork, de Blasio hopes the proficiency standards will increase even further.
NYC Students' Test Scores Show Progress In Math, Steady In English
In math, 36 percent were proficient, compared to 31 percent last year.
Test results are used in annual teacher evaluations and can be considered for student placements.
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