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City students shine on 2008 ELA and math tests
Jun 26, 2008 4:34 PM
Gains exceed those in rest of state
“A 43 percent increase in salaries has helped New York City develop and maintain a high-quality teaching force, one of the best we’ve had in decades,” UFT President Randi Weingarten says during the press conference on test scores.
The percentage of New York City students meeting math and English Language Arts standards took a huge leap forward this year, with an average gain of 9.2 percentage points in math and 6.8 points in ELA.
With the latest gains, almost three-quarters of city students meet the state math standards, a testament to the benefits of a consistent curriculum and advanced teaching skills, according to Aminda Gentile, UFT vice president for education issues. In addition, for the first time, well over half, 57.6 percent, of students scored at Levels 3 and 4 in English.
“This is a day to celebrate,” said UFT President Randi Weingarten, who, along with Council of School Supervisors and Administrators Ernest Logan, stood with Mayor Michael Bloomberg at PS 175 in Harlem where the mayor and chancellor announced the results. “Although test scores are not the be-all and end-all and we must re-focus on educating the whole child, they do reflect the productive collaboration of teachers, other educators and principals who pulled together and went the extra mile to help students achieve.”
Teachers said the large gains in math were the result of mastering math curriculums that were introduced four years ago. “People are getting savvier at matching the Everyday Math program to the state standards,” said Cynthia Gehan, a math coach at PS 114 in the Bronx.
Closing gaps
This was the first year that ELA and math results were both released in June, making for even longer and more dizzying lists of numbers than usual. But the trends were clear enough. Every grade in the city showed improvement, while the performance gaps between whites and African-Americans, whites and Latinos, English Language Learners and English-proficient students, and special education and general education students all narrowed.
In a break from past trends, many middle schools had gains as strong or stronger than the elementary schools, especially in math.
Especially encouraging was the fact that the performance gap between the city and the rest of the state also narrowed. While fewer city students meet standards than students in the rest of the state, city students are closing in, making greater gains than their peers in the rest of the state this year [see lower chart].
Large gains revive questions
Scores also rose statewide, up 5.1 points in ELA and 8 points in math. Some of the other “Big 5” cities in the state recorded double-digit gains in some grades. Buffalo, for example, had a 23.4 point increase in 3rd-graders meeting math standards and 7th-graders in Rochester raised math scores by 26.4 points.
Gains of this magnitude led testing experts to question the results, suggesting the tests themselves were easier this year. But State Education Commissioner Richard Mills told reporters that the state testing system had passed rigorous reviews by the U.S. Department of Education, an outside technical advisory group and state education experts as well.
Performance went up, Mills said, because the state invested an additional $3.4 billion in schools over the last two years; because more teachers than ever before are highly qualified under No Child Left Behind regulations; and because of a more rigorous curriculum, especially in math.
Weingarten credited the unprecedented investment in schools under Mayor Bloomberg: “A 43 percent increase in salaries has helped New York City develop and maintain a high-quality teaching force, one of the best we’ve had in decades.”
She also pointed to instructional investments. “Hiring certified teachers, pushing for smaller class sizes, allowing time for instructional programs, academic intervention and small-group tutoring of students are making a big difference, too,” she said.
Focus on the test
In the newspapers, on teacher blogs and in staff lounges, though, many teachers feared that the gains in meeting standards have come at the expense of a broad and well-rounded education. A narrowed curriculum, focus on test preparation and many weeks of “drill and kill” have crowded out projects, trips and experiments, they said.
Some of that is reflected in the numbers. While there has been an encouraging decline in the percentage of students scoring at Level 1 — in most grades the percentage of Level 1s dropped to single digits — the percentages of Level 4s have stayed fairly flat or declined, especially in ELA.
A Queens literacy coach lamented, “We tried to raise the level but it was not high enough. One thing I notice in the building is that instruction does not support Level 4 students.”
The highest achievement levels, then, are the next frontier for the city’s hard-working teachers.
To view the full city results go to http://schools.nyc.gov/daa/ and select ELA or Math under Test Results.
