March 9- School Report Card Press Release

News Banner from NYSED Communications Office

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, March 9, 2005

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

SCHOOL REPORT CARDS:

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

School Report Cards released today showed:

Fewer students have serious academic problems by the end of 8^th grade, and fewer are held back in 9^th grade.

More students are taking and passing Regents Exams at 65 each year, even as 5 exams are required.

The number of students graduating has increased, 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.

Students overwhelmingly pass Regents Exams if they take them. But too many students enter high school unprepared for high school work, fail their courses, and are held back. Many don’t take Regents Exams, which are end-of-course tests, during four years of high school.

Students who drop out typically do not take Regents Exams. If they do, they tend to pass.

The graduation rate for minority students is much lower than that for white students.

75 percent of schools and 47 percent of districts made Adequate Yearly Progress in every required category under NCLB.

"This school report card shows more students are achieving higher standards and graduating," State Education Commissioner Richard Mills said, "but New York still faces many challenges. We need to do better. The four-year graduation rate for minority students is unacceptably low. Too many young people historically take longer to graduate, or they drop out. We’ve made progress, but we have to work hard to close the achievement gap."

"The Board of Regents has made closing the achievement gap a priority," Regents Chancellor Robert M. Bennett said. "The progress we see in this report card – and the fact that many students still are not getting the education they deserve – make the best possible argument for getting more resources to the children who need them most. It’s a matter of basic justice."

Specific trends include:

More students overall are taking and passing Regents Exams at a score of 65.
Students who entered 9th grade in 2000 passed the 5 required Regents Exams overwhelmingly – if they took them. 92 percent of general education students who took all 5 exams passed at 55. 77 percent passed at 65, even though they were not required to do so.
At least 92 percent of seniors in the 2000 cohort have passed each exam.
The annual number of high school graduates statewide has increased 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.
75 percent of schools and 47 percent of districts made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in every category. Many schools missed AYP because too few students participated in taking the tests.

What can be done to help close the achievement gaps?

For school districts:

Break large high schools into smaller schools or learning communities within a school. This will focus more attention on individual students.
Expand proven career technical education programs. The Regents policy integrating academics and technical programs is working.
Carry out middle school reform approved by the Regents.
Make sure teachers are well-qualified, with professional development to teach to the standards.

For individual schools:

Develop transition programs to help children move from 8th to 9th grade, including orientation in 8th grade, summer programs, added support in 9th grade.
Develop "catch-up" programs to help students who enter 9th grade behind their peers.
Expand high school reading and math programs for students who are behind their peers.
Develop an intensive program to improve attendance.
Support counseling for family, health, and mental health problems; work with parents.

The State Education Department is moving toward a student record system in which each student has an identifier that is unique statewide. This move is partially completed. As a result of this move toward a reporting system with individual student records, more students are being reported and included in the overall statewide 2000 cohort that is being announced in the news conference today. The total number included in the cohort of students who began 9^th grade in 2000 is 199,312, more than the number of students who took the 8^th grade tests that year. Of those, 178,050 were general education students. Included are all students who entered 9^th grade in 2000 and graduated, dropped out, moved to a GED program, or were still enrolled in June 2004.

The 2000 accountability cohort, which is also presented today, is somewhat different. This cohort has been included in the School Report Cards for several years and again this year. Under the state accountability system, schools are held accountable for students who were continuously enrolled for two years. This cohort consists of students who began 9^th grade for the first time in 2000. Counting of these students began in October 2002, and 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 2002. 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 at a score of 55 or higher. However, special education students were not required to pass the Regents Exams. If special education students are seeking a local diploma, they are required to take the exams but can pass the RCTs to receive a local diploma. If they are seeking an IEP diploma, they do not have to take the Regents Exams.