Printer Friendly Format Email a Friend


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PR- 220-10
May 20, 2010

STATEMENTS OF MAYOR MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG AND SCHOOLS CHANCELLOR KLEIN ON THE 2009 NATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS READING EXAMS

Statement by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg

“Today’s results from the National Assessment Educational Progress report card have some very encouraging news in them.  It’s very clear that our public school students are continuing to close the gap with students in the rest of the State and the country.  That is enormously important – and it reverses decades of poor performance in City schools compared with schools in the suburbs.  We’re catching up to them because we’re creating schools that are as good as any in the country.

“The tests also show real progress for students that come from poor families. For the first time ever, when it comes to reading, our 4th grade students who receive free or reduced-rate lunch are outperforming such students both in the rest of the state and the rest of the country. That progress is a testament to our students – and also to our teachers and principals who pour themselves into their work.  They’re doing a great job, and they should be very proud of the difference they’re making.  Of course, we have a lot more work to do – and that includes raising the state’s standards.

“The National Assessment Educational Progress exams test our students on many subjects they haven’t learned yet, and that’s because our state standards aren’t aligned with the national standards.   We strongly support the effort by the State Board of Regents to raise standards – and to join with states across the country in adopting a common core set of standards.  That will both challenge our students to achieve at higher levels, and give us a common yard stick for fairly measuring student progress in one school versus another, one city versus another, and one state versus another.

“Our City is – very literally – in a Race to the Top, and it’s a race we’re fully committed to winning.  That’s why it’s so important that we convince Albany to lift the cap on charter schools – and allow us to keep our best teachers in the classroom.  It’s the only way we’re going to sustain the progress that we’re making in closing the gap between schools in the City and those in the rest of the state and country.”  

Statement by Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein

“Today’s release of NAEP reading results shows that New York City students have made significant progress since 2003 on three out of four math and reading assessments while outperforming their peers in the rest of New York State—who are on average significantly less high-poverty and minority and who are taught to the same statewide standards. In fact, in fourth-grade reading, we were one of only four major cities to demonstrate significant improvement since 2007, while our low-income students are among the highest performing in the nation. These gains continue to align with the major gains we’ve seen on New York State exams. As we begin the critical work of adopting rigorous Common Core Standards, today's results show that while there is a lot more work to do, urban districts that remain steadfastly committed to a bold reform agenda like New York City's can help even the neediest students make real progress.”







MEDIA CONTACT:


Andrew Brent/Jessica Scaperotti (Mayor)   (212) 788-2958

David Cantor   (Education)
(212) 374-5141




More Resources