New York City public school students continued to significantly outperform their peers in larger cities, according to New York State test scores released on Wednesday, but still less than half of the students in grades 3-8 met proficiency standards.
Nearly 47 percent of city students met standards in the English portion of the test, and 43 percent met standards in math. That’s compared to 45 percent proficiency across the state, with significantly lower average test scores in cities like Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city’s results show a school system on the mend. “We’ve seen steady gains across our students’ State math and English exams, proving that equity and excellence go hand in hand,” he said.
Test scores were released later than previous years, due to a new test framework, which officials cautioned meant the test results should not be compared to the previous year “no matter how hard the temptation,” according to New York State Commissioner of Education MaryEllen Elia.
“That does not mean that this year’s scores aren’t meaningful,” she told reporters on a conference call, adding that they still offer a measure of the gaps in achievement.
Across racial lines, those gaps narrowed only slightly, by a mere percentage point. More than half of white students showed proficiency in both of the tests, while only about a third of of black and Hispanic students met those standards.
Last year’s tests were untimed, administered over two days rather than three, and offered the option of computer-based testing in addition to paper and pencil.
18 percent of students declined to take the tests this year, down about one percentage point from the previous year.
Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza said in a statement that the scores were one of several measures that show steady progress across the nation's largest school system, citing graduation and college enrollment rates and progress on the mayor's "Equity & Excellence for All" agenda.
"We have much more work to do to close opportunity gaps, and we will continue our push to deliver the equitable and excellent education that every New York City public school student deserves,” he said.
Kim Sweet, the executive director of the group Advocates for Children, said she was concerned about the persistent gaps that exist for students with disabilities and English Language Learners.
"Teaching students to read is one of the most fundamental tasks of schools," she said. "We are disappointed to see a 40 point gap in reading scores between students with disabilities and their nondisabled peers and a 40 point gap in reading scores between ELLs and students who were never ELLs."
And Evan Stone, co-founder of the teacher group Educators 4 Excellence lamented the opportunity gaps for low-income students and students of color as well as the inconsistent scores.
“These scores could be more meaningful if we stopped playing politics and provide consistency in assessments and evaluation," he said. "We must embrace educator-driven reforms that ensure quality data is being collected and shared in a timely manner that allows educators to measure achievement and improvement from year to year."
