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QUEENS, NEW YORK April 15, 2004 — Next week, New York City third graders will take the first of two exams that will determine whether they can move on to fourth grade in September. Previously, teachers were given more leeway in deciding who was promoted. But mayor Bloomberg's policy of ending so-called social promotion puts more emphasis on high-stakes testing. As part of our ongoing series "Reading, Writing and Reform," WNYC's Beth Fertig went to an elementary school in Queens to see how students are getting ready.

Third grade is when students have to become good readers. It's the year when chapter books gradually replace picture books; and when kids start using what Principal Maria Di Stefano at PS 108 calls "higher level thinking skills."

DI STEFANO: They should be reading fluently, they should be able to take a book that is on their level and be able to understand it. And be able to tell you what the story is about.

PS 108 is a large elementary school of 1500 students. It's located in Ozone Park, a working class community with a large number of South Asian and Caribbean immigrants. Teachers here say reading comprehension is a big part of every lesson.

KID: invite, invite, invented. TEACHER: Good I like the way you went back and re-read that, that's a good strategy...(Dip under)

Teacher Johanna Varvaro sets aside a few minutes in each lesson to work with her students individually. It's a requirement of the city's new curriculum. As Varvaro listens to Mark read a story about a hapless inventor named Andy, she asks him a few key questions.

TEACHER: Do you think you're close to understanding what Andy's problem is? What do you think his problem is? KID: He kept on making his inventions and it kept on making problems?

Varvaro seems pleased with her student's ability to read aloud. But she wants to make sure he understands the words on the page.

VARVARO: Obviously he can read most of the words. But his understanding of what the main idea of his problem is, that Andy's already invented these ites, is the clue to the main idea of this book and I'm suspect as to whether he's really gotten that yet.

Varvaro writes a few comments into a notebook she uses to track her students' progress. She knows that a few pages of "Andy's Handy Dandy Bubble Band Beanie" aren't enough to tell her if Mark is reading at grade level. But 2 citywide tests this month will determine who can move on to the fourth grade.

Last year about 30 third graders were held back at PS 108. That's a little under 10 percent. But principal Di Stefano says most went on to the fourth grade after attending summer school. She's hoping the same thing will happen this year.

DI STEFANO: I am so confident that we have prepared our teachers to deliver such good instruction I think our children are going to do fine.

Di Stefano also used additional funds - and new space in her building - to lower her third grade class sizes to an average of 25 students. Many opponents of the mayor's policy thought smaller classes and additional early childhood programs would be more productive than holding kids back. The city of Chicago just softened its own grade retention program after 2 studies found children who were held back were more likely to drop out.

But the Bloomberg administration believes it's program will be more successful. Kathleen Cashin is the superintendent for Region 5- which includes Ozone Park. She says the city has begun spending more money on third graders at risk.

CASHIN: And we are making every effort tin terms of tutoring, in terms of using professional development periods for tutoring, extended day, before day activities we absolutely are bringing up the preparation a notch or two.

The third graders at PS 108 know this month's tests are very important. Even if they aren't sure which politician changed the rule.

BOY: Cause the governor said if we don't pass the grade we're going to be held back.

This nine-year old boy says he was held back in second grade. But now that he's in third grade, he says he's doing better.

BOY: Tell me what I need to learn; helped me.

Another third grader agrees the test could help kids.

BOY: If you don't pass it you might have to go to summer school but if you do pass it you get to go to fourth grade. And if you don't pass it's not so bad having to do a little bit school again.

His class is now studying the fine art of multiplication. They're working with tiny cubes they can plot on a chart.

BOY: We already know 10 times 10 is a hundred and it will take too long to get a hundred. TEACHER: Excellent Abdur. I like this boy!

Teacher Loretta Mendoza helps her students prepare for the test by using skills they've already learned.

TEACHER: During the test you cannot count them one by one because you will be wasting too much time...

Children who don't pass the test will be encouraged to go to summer school and take the exams over in August. In the past, teachers were also allowed to consider class-work and attendance. But now they can only use those factors during an appeal - which is subject to approval by other supervisors. Loretta Mendoza has mixed opinions about this change.

MENDOZA: As a teacher I know my kids, I know who are achieving very well and I know who are not.

But she says with good teaching and preparation, students who are ready for fourth grade will get there.

MENDOZA: If they just focus on the test I think they will be able to do it because they know how to read. They know how to add.

School officials hope kids will know those skills by the end of the month. Last year, approximately 15 thousand third graders were promoted even though they scored at the lowest level. So one test of the Bloomberg administration's new curriculum will be whether that number goes up or down. For WNYC I'm Beth Fertig.