NEW YORK CITY “GINS UP” THE NUMBERS

In June, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and School Chancellor Dennis Walcott announced that the four-year graduation rate for New York City Public Schools reached an all-time high of 65.1% in 2010. Two quotes from the New York City Department of Education website have particular relevance in light of another story that I will reveal. 

(1)  “For the thousands of students who graduated in 2010, a large majority of them now in college, today is a tribute to their hard work and sacrifice,” said Chancellor Walcott. “It’s also a testament to the support provided by their teachers, principals, and families – and to the new school models that gave students attention and guidance they might not have otherwise received.”

(2)  “These new high school graduation rates are proof positive that the reforms we’ve adopted and the investments we’ve made are paying off in a big way,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “I’m proud of our students, teachers, principals and parents for achieving this all-time high graduation rate.”

Chancellor Walcott lauded the “majority of students” who are enrolled in college.  Guess what?  They are not prepared for college. In fact, at City University of New York community colleges, 74% of students last fall required extra help before starting basic college-level work. 

So if we start with a class of 100 students with a 65% graduate rate, and of those, 75% need remedial work before they can hope to function even at the community college education level, how many students are really prepared for a higher education?  Only 17 out of the original 100!  How can New York be proud about that?

Mayor Bloomberg bragged that the higher graduation rates “are proof positive that the reforms we’ve adopted and the investments we’ve made are paying off in a big way.”  Maybe not such a good investment was made at Washington Irving High School.  It received $6 million in extra funds to undergo a “transformation.”

The New York Post revealed last week that school administrators approved new grading policies that turn failing grades into passing ones!

The New York Post story said:

“The policies -- which one expert blasted as ‘approved cheating’ -- are spelled out in documents obtained by The Post, including the 2011-12 staff handbook and minutes of a meeting last October between Principal Bernardo Ascona and assistant principals who make up the school’s Panel for Academic Success.

“Excerpts from the minutes of a meeting of Washington Irving HS's 'academic success' panel: ‘A final marking period course grade of 60 to 64...will be changed automatically to a 65."

Under the rules:

* Students who get failing scores of 50 to 55 in class will “automatically” get 15 points for a passing 65 to 70 grade if they pass a Regents exam. Kids who score a minimum score of 65 on the Regents “should receive a passing grade” in the class. (The same practice forced a Bronx principal to resign.)

* A final grade of 60 to 64 “will be changed automatically” to a passing 65.

* Students who fail a class ‘will be assigned ... a work product not to exceed five pages” or ‘alternative project.’ Livid teachers say pupils who cut class or blew off studying get a ‘packet’ of work or take an online multiple-choice ‘credit recovery program.”

The school is cheating the students by giving them passing grades when they have not learned the material.  Last year, only 5% of seniors at Washington Irving were considered “college or career ready” based on their Regents exams.”

City-wide, 17 out of 100 are prepared.  At Washington Irving, 5 out of 100 are career or college ready.  The New York City Department of Education can “gin up” the numbers however they want to, but the facts still are that these students are not prepared for life.  Bloomberg must be drinking quite a few martinis to believe otherwise.