For immediate release, MARCH 17, 2004

 

For More Information, Contact:
Jonathan Burman, Tom Dunn, Alan Ray at (518) 474-1201
Internet:  http://www.nysed.gov

 

SCHOOL REPORT CARDS:

MOST STUDENTS CONTINUE TO PASS REGENTS EXAMS, EVEN AS FIVE EXAMS ARE REQUIRED TO GRADUATE, BUT AN ACHIEVEMENT GAP CONTINUES

School Report Cards released today showed:

• More students are taking and passing Regents Exams at 65 each year, even as 5 exams are required.
• The number of students graduating each year remains stable even with higher standards.
• Achievement is climbing as more students receive Regents Diplomas, requiring a 65 score on 8 exams including 2 math and 2 science exams.
• Despite gains, an achievement gap continues in high school.
• Elementary school students show continuing progress in English and math, and middle school students show progress in math.

“This school report card shows good news,” State Education Commissioner Richard Mills said, “but New York still faces many challenges. More students are achieving higher standards each year. The number of graduates is staying constant, even with higher standards. But we need to do better. Too many young people historically take longer to graduate, or they drop out. We need to press on and provide more help to students and close the achievement gap.”

“The Board of Regents has made closing the achievement gap a priority,” Regents Chancellor Robert M. Bennett said. “The improvements shown in this report card, combined with the continuing challenges, make the best possible argument for getting enough resources to the children who need them most. That’s why it’s urgent that New York State adopt the Regents’ proposal for reforming State Aid to schools.”

Specific trends include:

·        More students overall are taking and passing Regents Exams each year at a score of 65.

·        At least 85 percent of general education students in the group or cohort of students who began 9^th grade in 1999 have passed the five required Regents Exams after four years. The exams are English, Math, Global History and Geography, U.S. History and Government, and Science.

·        At least 94 percent of seniors in the 1999 cohort have passed each exam.

·        The annual number of high school graduates statewide has stayed consistent despite higher standards. This is true also when comparing the number of graduates to the overall 9^th-12^th grade enrollment.

·        More students are getting Regents Diplomas by passing eight Regents Exams, including two Math and two Science exams, at a grade of 65 or above.

·        Elementary and middle school achievement is improving among all types of schools and all racial groups, compared to 1999 results. More students are achieving all the standards in elementary English and math and middle school math, as compared with 1999. Fewer students are achieving all the standards in middle school English, compared to 1999. These elementary and middle school results for 2003 were announced earlier this school year.

What can be done to help close the achievement gaps?

·        Hold fast to the standards and high expectations.

·        Use the data effectively.

·        Recruit certified teachers.

·        Recruit and train effective leaders.

·        Offer a rigorous curriculum for all. Provide an enriched program for students falling behind – not a slowed-down and repetitive program. Have children read at least 25 books per year with teacher guidance to insure appropriate quality, content, and challenge. Provide basic facts and formulas in math while moving ahead in a rich grade-level curriculum. Forget test prep.

·        Improve instruction.

·        Improve the middle grades curriculum. Move beyond elementary math to algebra and geometry. Move to more advanced literature and analytical writing.

·        Adopt the Regents’ proposal for reforming State Aid to schools.

The 1999 district cohort consists of students who began 9^th grade for the first time in 1999. Counting of these students began in 2001, so all dropouts are included except for those who dropped out during the first two years of high school. The cohort, which is used for school district accountability purposes, does not include students who transferred to another school district or GED program after October 2001. LEP students who started high school in the U.S. at age 17 or later and were assigned to 9^th grade are not included, nor are students with severe disabilities, who are eligible for the NYS alternate assessment. The general education students in this cohort were required to pass the Regents English, Math, Global History and Geography, U.S. History and Government, and Science Exams.