New York, NY –
New York City students made no significant progress on their national math exams. But the Bloomberg Administration says that doesn't mean its reforms have stalled. WNYC's Beth Fertig has more.
REPORTER: Fourth grade scores were flat and eighth grade scores went up just slightly on the National Assessment of Educational Progress. But Schools Chancellor Joel Klein says it's more important to look at the long run because scores went up consistently between 2003 and 2007. New York City also once again performed better than the average for large cities. But even with these gains Black and Hispanic students continue to score, on average, 25 to 35 points behind whites - a gap that hasn't changed since 2003.
There was also a huge discrepancy between how city students scored on the national and state exams. More than 80 percent of city elementary and middle school students passed the New York State math exams this year. But only 35 percent of fourth graders were proficient on the national test, and just a quarter of eighth graders. The state has pledged to raise its standards. For WNYC I'm Beth Fertig.
Beth Fertig is WNYC’s Contributing Editor for Education. She previously covered politics, which included City Hall during the Giuliani administration, and the U.S. Senate campaigns of Charles Schumer and Hillary Clinton. She also covered transportation and infrastructure.
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