Mayor Bloomberg Applauds Test Score Improvement By NYC Students
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Mayor Michael Bloomberg says students, teachers and administrators should be very proud of the gains in standardized test scores.
The mayor expressed joy over the latest test scores that show city school kids in grades 3 through 8, making gains in the state's annual math and English exams.
In New York City, 43.9 percent of students met or exceeded the English proficiency standard. That's up from 42.4 percent last year. In math, 57.3 percent of city students were proficient, up from 54 percent last year.
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Bloomberg was especially pleased that the gains the city kids made outpaced the rest of the state.
Statewide, 52.8 percent of the students met the English standard, a drop from 53.2 percent. In math, 63.3 percent of students statewide met or exceeded the standard, up from 61 percent a year ago.
Bloomberg said that the "most important" and "encouraging conclusion" from the results was that "city students continue to move in the right direction."
He added the results were "more evidence that work we are doing here in New York City to invest in teachers, raise standards and hold everyone accountable is paying off."
State Education Commissioner John B. King Jr. said the test results are "stubbornly flat over time."
"The Regents reform agenda is designed to change that, by driving long-term gains in student performance," said King, appointed to the job by the Board of Regents in May.
In the state's biggest city schools -- New York City, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Yonkers -- fewer students met or exceeded the math and English standards than in the state's urban, suburban and rural schools.
For example, 26.9 percent of students in Buffalo met or exceeded the English standard, down from 27.7 percent year. Thirty-one percent of Buffalo students met or exceeded the math standard, up from 29.8 percent last year.
Statewide, just 35 percent of black students met or exceeded the English standard, compared to 64.2 percent of white students. Forty-four percent of black students met the math standard, compared to 73.3 percent of white students.
Are you encouraged by the test gains in the city or do you think more can be done to improve the scores? Share your thoughts in the comments section...
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