NYC Public Education Continues To Fail Its Students
Written by on October 7, 2023
On October 4, 2023, New York City officials released information showing that a paltry half of students in the third through eighth grades passed state mathematics and reading examinations in the 2022-2023 academic year.
According to Chalkbeat, “51.7% of the city’s third through eighth grade students passed their reading exams, and 49.9% passed their math tests.” At the eighth-grade level, only 42.3% of students passed the state math test. On a brighter note, 59.9% of eighth-graders passed their reading examinations.
New York City Schools Chancellor David Banks attempted to put a positive spin on the test results, noting that New York City students scored higher on state tests last year than they did the previous year. According to Chancellor Banks, “‘These results tell us: we’re on the right track. We are making strides in our recovery from the pandemic, and we are going to build on this success this year and beyond.’” However, the state tests were revised prior to last year to reflect the new Next Generation Learning Standards, so the comparison is invalid.
It is unacceptable for half of New York City’s students to be less than proficient in reading and math. The fact that the state of New York spends more money per student on public education than any other state in the country makes these test results even more problematic. However, the results do make one thing abundantly clear: Schools in New York City and throughout the state must focus on vastly improving educational performance. They cannot allow themselves to become distracted by efforts to promote left-wing ideologies.
