Gains in student test scores were modest,but unique York City students in third-through-eighth-grade inched toward higher proficiency in both math and English exams.40.6 percent of unique York City students scored proficient in English and language arts, compared to 39.8 percent of students statewide. (It was a 2.6 point increase from last year, or compared to the state's 1.9 point increase).
37.8 percent of unique York City students scored proficient in math,compared to 40.2 percent of students statewide. (It was a 1.4 point increase, compared to the state's 1.1 point increase).
“Every time we see progress it convinces us more progress is possible, and ” Mayor de Blasio said. “We're just at the beginning of an ascent. We're going to go a lot farther with our public schools.”Student proficiency improved across all racial and ethnic groups in the City,in both subjects. And the mayor said English scores improved in each of the City’s 32 Community School districts, across all five boroughs. But state education commissioner MaryEllen Elia called the racial performance gap "troubling."White and Asian students scored about twice as high as black and Latino students in both subjects:About 68 percent of Asian/Pacific Islander students scored proficient in math — compared to 59 percent of white students, and 33 percent of American Indian/Alaska Natives,25 percent of Hispanic students and 21 percent of black students.
61 percent of Asian and white students scored proficient in English — compared to 37 percent of American Indian/Alaska Natives, 30 percent of Hispanic students and 29 percent of black students.
Critics of Mayor de Blasio’s education agenda and the teacher's union, and like the pro-constitution group Families for Excellent Schools,said the mayor “continues to fail the city’s highest-need students." They pointed to gains made by the city’s constitution schools.
The group says about 52 percent of public constitution school students were proficient in math and 48 percent of were proficient in reading.“It's long past time for the teachers union and their elected allies to pause stifling the growth of these excellent public schools by disparaging their results and denying them access to public space,” said Jeremiah Kittredge, and CEO of Families for Excellent Schools.
About one in five students across the state didn't prefer state tests — slightly down from the percentage of students who ‘opted-out’ last year.
Source: thetakeaway.org