According to the city of New York’s annual progress report, 217 elementary and middle schools aren’t making the grade and are in danger of closing. The schools received an F, D or third consecutive C to qualify as being “at risk.” The number is almost twice as much as last year’s report findings. The report rated 1,193 schools in total.
“Our elementary and middle schools build on the foundation of early learning to set our students on a path for college and career readiness,” said Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott in a released statement. “By measuring how well our schools prepare students for high school, the progress reports set the right goals for success in these formative grades.”
According to the Department of Education, elementary and middle schools are compared to one another to determine grades. High school progress reports set target scores. Report results indicate that the top 25 percent of schools (304) received an A, 421 received a B, 365 received a C, 80 received a D and 23 received an F.
The report also states that the grades for most schools didn’t change much from the previous year, with 86 percent of schools not changing more than one grade from 2011. Out of the five boroughs, Queens was the highest performing according to the report, with District 26 performing the highest. So why were more schools on the list if the grades didn’t change much? The city said it’s because they raised standards.
“This year, our students are engaging in more challenging coursework aligned to the Common Core standards,” said Chief Academic Officer Shael Polakow-Suransky in a released statement. “With core course metrics counting as part of each school’s grade, the middle school reports give schools credit for more challenging coursework and reflect a broader range of information about student performance.”
The schools that earned the higher percentage of “A” grades in the progress report were charter schools.
United Federations of Teachers (UFT) President Michael Mulgrew is none too pleased with the result. Mulgrew, in an emailed statement to the AmNews, said that the city’s system of grading schools does nothing to help at-risk schools improve.
“Tweed’s measurement system depends almost completely on standardized tests, and its ‘engagement’ process does little or nothing to help struggling schools improve,” said Mulgrew. “Unfortunately, closing schools–rather than fixing them–remains the centerpiece of Mayor Bloomberg’s education strategy.”
According to the DOE, “Seventy-five percent of a school’s progress report score comes from comparing the school’s results to its peer group, the 40 or so other schools in the city that serve the most similar student populations. The remaining 25 percent of a school’s score is based on a comparison with all schools citywide that serve the same grade levels.”