Little Improvement in City Math and Reading Scores

Eighth-grade test scores for math and reading have barely improved since 2003, according to a report released on Tuesday by the National Assessment for Education Progress.

According to New York Metro, despite Mayor Bloomberg’s promises to turn the public school system around, less than a quarter of eighth-grade students can read and do math at proficient levels. The report says that test scores have remained mostly unchanged since 2009.

William Cooper, principal of Bed-Stuy’s P.S. 25, said to Metro: “We just have to work harder. One kid that’s illiterate is an adult that’s going to be illiterate.” 

Nationally, 34 percent of eighth graders are proficient in math, and 32 percent are proficient in reading. In New York City, only 24 percent of students are passing both subjects.

There was some good news in the report, though. The New York Times reports that the city improved in narrowing the achievement gap for poor students: eighth grade students who qualified for free or reduced lunches only scored 14 points lower than those who did not (compared with 30 points lower in 2003).

Also according to the Times' analysis, black students scored an average of 26 points lower than white students on reading tests in fourth-grade, while in 2002, black students scored 29 points lower. In math, black students averaged 22 points lower in fourth-grade and 30 points lower in eighth grade this year, compared with scoring 25 points and 36 points lower in 2003.

Interestingly and somewhat related, the debate on the fairness of standardized tests being used to determine a child’s future was put to the test this week, when a Florida school board member with two Masters degrees took a standardized test meant for 10th graders and got a “D.”