NYC PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOLS SHOW STRONG STUDENT PERFORMANCE BASED ON NEW TEST RESULTS

This year's citywide tests, which were given to public school students in grades three, five, six and seven, show 62 percent of charter school students meeting or exceeding proficiency standards in English Language Arts (ELA). On the math test, about 61 percent of the city's charter school students met or exceeded proficiency standards.

On both tests, charter school students outperformed traditional public school students. Of traditional public school students, 55 percent met or exceeded proficiency standards on the ELA test and 50 percent met or exceeded proficiency standards on the math test. The academic performance of charter school students was even stronger when measured against public schools in the same community district. For example, 12 of the 15 NYC charter schools outperformed their district in the citywide English Language Arts (ELA) test. On the math test, 12 of 15 NYC public charter schools outperformed the district.

"These results show that public charter schools, which serve students in some of the city's neediest communities, are having a positive impact on overall efforts to raise academic achievement in the NYC school system," said Paula Gavin, Chief Executive Officer for the NYC Center for Charter School Excellence. "Thanks to the leadership of Mayor Bloomberg and NYC Schools Chancellor Joel Klein, there is strong support for charter schools in NYC and the great potential they offer as a public education option for students and parents. We urge leaders throughout New York to support lifting the statewide cap on charter schools so more of these independent public schools can open in some of the city's most underserved communities."

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.

Charter schools are independent public schools governed by their own not-for-profit Board of Directors and managed according to the terms of a multi-year contract or "charter." Charter schools are held accountable for meeting specific student performance goals as detailed in their charter. In return, charter schools are exempt from many public school regulations on curriculum, staffing and budget. There are currently 32 charter schools in New York City serving approximately 8,000 students. Fifteen new charter schools have been approved to open this fall.

The citywide ELA and math tests are optional for public charter schools. Fifteen (15) charter schools in New York City, serving grades 3-7, took the 2005 citywide tests. The attached chart shows the percentage of charter school students meeting or exceeding proficiency in the tests compared to their host district.

Over all, NYC public charters schools scored about 19 percentage points above the combined district average for the 2005 citywide math test. A combining of citywide and statewide ELA test results show NYC charter schools scoring about eight (8) percentage points higher than the district average.

Results from last month's statewide ELA test for fourth and eighth graders showed 11 of 16 NYC public charter schools with fourth grade students outperforming their district average. In the case of the six charter schools reporting eighth grade scores, five outperformed their respective district averages.

Statewide math test results will be available later this summer. English Language Arts and math 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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