Top-performing schools earn average marks
High-performing schools PS 24 and the Robert J. Christen School, PS 81, scored Bs on the city Department of Education's first-ever progress reports, while schools with historically low test scores, like PS 7, PS 310 and PS 360, all earned As.
The school progress reports, released on Monday, rewarded schools for closing the achievement gap on reading and math exams, but top-ranked Riverdale schools, where there is little or no gap to close since so many students pass the exams each year, suffered from the new grading system.
"I'm not surprised PS 24 and PS 81 got Bs," said Marvin Shelton, president of the Community Education Council of District 10. "If there's not much room for improvement you're never going to get an A."
Student progress, a measure of year-toyear gains in reading and math scores, accounted for more than half of the school's overall grade on the report, leaving some parents and elected officials scratching their heads.
"I'm happy with how schools in my district performed but the report card system is not a good system," said Councilman Oliver Koppell on Tuesday.
Mr. Koppell thought it "unfair" to downgrade high-performing schools for not closing an achievement gap that may not even exist at their school.
"PS 7 has a very needy student body. They have a tough job and their A is deserved. But it's unfair to other schools like PS 24 and PS 81 that have consistently operated at a high level to get a B."
The report card also grades the school environment, based on attendance rates and parent teacher surveys, which made up 15 percent of the mark and student performance, including graduation rates and raw test scores, which makes up 30 percent.
Schools get extra credit for improving the test scores of "high-need" students like English language learners and special education students.
For most local elementary schools, the difference between an A and a B meant more of these students making gains on test scores. For example, PS 7 received 8.3 extra credit points for improving the test scores of its special education students, Hispanic students scoring in the lowest third citywide and English language learners. PS 24 only notched 0.8 extra points for helping its "ethnic," low-performing students boost their test scores last year.
Looking at solely the percentage of students passing math and reading tests, PS 24 and PS 81 both surpass neighboring schools. Of the four elementary schools with an A grade - PS 7, PS/MS 37, PS 310 and PS 360 - all saw fewer than half of their students pass the reading exam. Whereas, more than 80 percent of PS 24 students passed the same test.
The results had parents citywide shaking their heads.
"It's commendable they are moving these kids up but if the children are coming in well-prepared its almost impossible to get an A," Mr. Shelton said, adding that he didn't think the grading system was fair. "I wouldn't be personally concerned. I wouldn't go ballistic if PS 24 continued to get Bs."
Schools Chancellor Joel Klein defended the grading system by reminding parents that schools were rated in comparison to their peers. For elementary schools that meant judgment against schools with similar demographics and for middle schools similar test scores determined "peers."
Middle schools were graded separately from high schools, which unearthed surprising results at the David A. Stein Riverdale/ Kingsbridge Academy, MS/ HS 141 and IN-Tech Academy, MS/HS 368.
While MS/HS 141's high school notched an A, its middle school was dealt a C. Scoring a B, IN-Tech Academy's middle school performed better than its high school, which received a C. The only other local school to receive a C was the Bronx New School, PS 51.
"I'm hard pressed to find out what the difference is" between MS/HS 141's high school and middle school, said Ed Lowe, parent of an eighth-grader and 10thgrader at the school. "To me it's one school, one principal."
Because high schoolers do not take the reading and math exams that students in grades three through eight do, comparing them with middle schoolers is difficult. High schools are also held accountable for Regents scores and graduation rates.
MS/HS 141's high school did particularly well in closing the achievement gap, earning 12 extra points for improving the Regents scores of all high-need groups except black students.
"I'm surprised at the C grade, but it won't change my view," Mr. Lowe said. "I still love our local schools."
Mr. Shelton said he had spoken with incensed parents about the progress reports and encouraged them to "take it with a grain of salt."
"Parents are going to focus on the letter grade," he said. "It's the biggest thing on there. But they have to look at the bigger picture. These progress reports do not reward consistent high achievement so they could be misleading."
Schools that earn As and Bs are eligible for rewards such as extra funding. Schools that get Ds and Fs, or three Cs in a row, face a number of consequences, including closure or administration changes. No local schools were marked below a C.
Community School District 10, which includes the Riverdale-Kingsbridge area, had more "A" elementary and middle schools than any other district citywide, 19 in all.
