NYC PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOLS INCREASE STUDENT PERFORMANCE OVER LAST YEAR BASED ON NEW TEST RESULTS

Overall, NYC public charter schools achieved 61 percent proficiency on the 4th grade test. On the 8th grade test, public charter school students collectively achieved 49 percent proficiency - about 16 percentage points above the city-wide average. The state tests were given to all 4th and 8th grade public school students between mid-January and early February 2005.

"We are excited about the progress all NYC school students have made on this recent round of tests," said Paula Gavin, CEO of the NYC Center for Charter School Excellence. "It is particularly encouraging to see results indicating NYC public charter schools, which serve many low-income and at-risk communities in the city, improving their academic performance over last year.

"These results underscore the great potential public charter schools have for raising standards of academic achievement. We are fortunate that the Mayor and Chancellor's leadership is helping to make New York City the most charter-friendly district in the country. Based on this data and the growing demand by parents for more public school options, we urge leaders throughout New York State to support increasing their numbers by lifting the statewide cap," said Gavin.

The 1998 New York State law on charter schools "caps" the number of schools statewide at 100. Given the number of public charter schools currently in operation and those in development, New York is expected to hit the statewide "cap" by December 2005.

A comparison of the 4th grade ELA test results of NYC public charter schools with their community school district counterparts showed 11 of the 16 NYC public charter schools with 4th grade students outperforming their district average. Three of the public charter schools were within a few percentage points of their district average.

In the case of the six charter schools reporting 8th grade scores, five outperformed their respective district averages. The one charter school reporting 8th grade results that did not outperform its district is a special program for under-credited students.

These results only reflect those charter schools currently serving 4th and 8th grades. The 12 additional charter schools in NYC not included in this data serve elementary (K-3) and high school students. Overall, there are 32 NYC public charter schools with 15 more currently approved to open this fall.

The NYSED data may vary slightly with data posted on the NYC Department of Education Web site due to the categorizing of special education students. The above analysis holds true for both sets of data. ELA test results for public schools are available online at: www.nysed.gov. and www.nycenet.edu.

The NYC Center for Charter School Excellence is an independent, nonprofit organization founded in the belief that public charter schools are integral to the overall effort to raise academic achievement and improve the educational environment in the New York City public school system. The Center will identify and promote effective charter school models of excellence, autonomy and accountability for academic as well as operational excellence.

For information on the NYC Center for Charter School Excellence visit our Web site: www.nycchartercenter.org.

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