Monday, June 23

A toast to test scores


It was a love-fest today at PS 178 for New York City’s educational leadership. Ongoing battles over budget cuts were tabled (momentarily) as the Mayor, Chancellor Joel Klein, UFT president Randi Weingarten and CSA rep Ernie Logan lauded city children’s performance on the state ELA and Math tests, which were announced today, and are posted on line here. The credit for the steadily rising test scores (with still-glaring gaps between grade 4 and grade 8 achievement), was generously shared as speakers thanked each other, the children, the parents, the teachers and, of course, themselves.

Each speaker in turn emphasized how much work educational reformers in New York City have yet to accomplish.

“It’s a wonderful day for New York,” the Mayor said, before adding this caveat: “If history looks back and says, 'this is a high point,' shame on us.”

1 comment:

Malorie said...

Of course it is always a treat to hear good news about NYC schools instead of the alternative. However, in my own classroom of seventh and eighth graders, students not able to comprehend reading passages above a third grade reading level or write comprehensive paragraphs received 2's and 3's on the state ELA exams. I do not doubt that New York City schools are improving. I just think we need to be more critical of the scales by which the leaders of our school systems measure their own success.