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Tougher Standards Mean Fewer "A" Schools
By
Jen Chung
Published Oct 1, 2010
Modified Oct 1, 2010
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By
Jen Chung
Published Oct 1, 2010
Modified Oct 1, 2010
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The Department of Education released its latest school progress report cards, and this time the curve is gone. Last year, 84% of public schools got an A, but this year only 25% did. The NY Times says the shift "was largely predetermined," and besides the 25% of "A" schools, there were "35 percent B’s, 35 percent C’s, 4 percent D’s, and 1 percent F’s. No school that earned an A last year could get worse than a C, and the schools that earned B’s last year could do no worse than a D."
The state changed its standards for deeming students proficient in math and English—leading to a drop in how many public school students could be considered proficient—and DOE deputy chancellor Shael Suransky told the Wall Street Journal, "We are getting more and more precise and making sure that it's fair and rigorous and holding people to high standards." But teachers union head Michael Mulgrew of the United Teachers Federation argued that the progress reports are a sign of the DOE's bureaucracy, saying officials just "sit back and look at computer screens and don't find out what schools really need to do the job. Teachers are always being pushed and pressured to do more and more test prep," instead of really giving students an enriching education.
And in a bit of a blow to Mayor Bloomberg's bid to expand charter schools, the NY Post finds that the over thousand elementary and middle public schools' average grade is a B, while the 60 charter schools averaged to a C+.
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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