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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PR- 330-10
July 28, 2010

STATEMENTS OF MAYOR BLOOMBERG AND SCHOOLS CHANCELLOR KLEIN ON RESULTS OF STATE MATH AND ENGLISH TESTS

Statement of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg:

"Today, the State Department of Education released the results of the math and English exams administered this spring. This year's scores maintained the major progress we have made raising student achievement levels in recent years, and the decision by the State to raise its benchmark for proficiency will help us raise achievement levels even higher. According to the new, tougher benchmarks, roughly 54 percent of city students in grades 3-8 are meeting or exceeding math standards, while just over 42 percent are meeting reading standards. Parents, teachers and principals should understand that these numbers do not mean our students are performing any worse than they were last year; it just means that there is a new, tougher benchmark for measuring our successes.

"In this increasingly competitive global economy, we need our students to have a strong foundation to be successful - and we are clearly headed in the right direction. Since 2002, we've seen an ongoing trend with New York City students outperforming students in school districts throughout the State. And I believe if we keep working together to raise our standards and give our students the support they need, there's no limit to what they can achieve."

Statement of Chancellor Joel I. Klein:

"After substantial progress since 2002, our kids should be proud. By any measure, on both the state tests and the highly respected National Assessment of Educational Progress, New York City students have far outpaced students in the rest of the state.

"Today's lesson is that we have a long way to go - with higher expectations, our toughest and most exciting work is just beginning. Our goal has never been just proficiency, or even a high school diploma; our goal is to graduate all our students college and career-ready. It's time to come together to help our students meet this great challenge. It will take an unprecedented effort from school officials, teachers, students, and parents; and it will take a more rigorous set of standards that require our students to do college-level work."







MEDIA CONTACT:


Stu Loeser/Jessica Scaperotti   (212) 788-2958

Natalie Ravitz/Matt Mittenthal   (Department of Education)
(212) 374-5141




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