NYC PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOLS CONTINUE TO SHOW
STEADY IMPROVEMENT IN LATEST STATE TEST RESULTS
New York City's public charter schools continue to make consistent progress based on recent test results issued by the New York State Education Department (NYSED). The 2004-05 state math test results, which were released on September 22, show 76.3 percent of the city's 4th grade public charter school students, and 65.5 percent of the city's 8th grade public charter school students, meeting or exceeding standards on the statewide exam compared to 66.7 percent of 4th grade students and 58.9 percent of 8th grade students in public charter schools last year.
"The strong scores achieved by the City's charter school students on the state math exams provide solid evidence of why we've worked so hard to make New York City the most charter-friendly district in the country," said City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein "We remain committed to supporting New York City's charter schools so that they can continue holding their students to high academic standards. Parents and students in New York City deserve the high-quality education that charter schools provide; it's clear that our charters are continuing to deliver the impressive results that make them such stellar options for families throughout New York City, particularly in traditionally underserved communities."
"These test results show that the rigorous academics underway at the city's public charter schools are showing steady progress," said Paula Gavin, Chief Executive Officer of the New York City Center for Charter School Excellence. "We applaud the efforts that helped produce these results. The 47 performance-based public charter schools in NYC are serving many needy communities offering high academic standards and accountability. Again, we urge leaders throughout New York to support lifting the statewide "cap" on public charter schools so we can expand public school options for many more deserving students and families."
"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 cap with new charter schools approved this fall, restricting the ability of existing planning teams to create additional high-quality educational alternatives for students in the city and across the state."
On the state math test, the percentage of 4th graders in NYC public charter schools meeting or exceeding standards in math improved over last year by 9.6 percentage points to 76.3 percent. Overall, the percentage of citywide public school 4th graders meeting or exceeding standards on the state math test increased by 9.3 percentage points to 77.4 percent. The percentage of NYC's 8th grade public charter school students meeting or exceeding standards in math improved by 6.6 percentage points over last year to 65.5 percent. Citywide, the percentage of public school 8th graders meeting or exceeding standards on the state math test declined by 1.6 percentage points over last year to 40.8 percent.
A comparison of the 4th grade state math test results of city charter school students with their community district counterparts showed 12 of 16 city public charter schools with 4th grade students outperforming their district average. On the 8th grade test, five of six public charter schools outperformed their respective districts. The one charter school reporting 8th grade results that did not outperform its district is a special program for under-credited students. The state math test was given in May 2005. For a breakdown of state math test results by NYC charter school go to: www.nycchartercenter.org.
A combining of all test results (city and state) for NYC 3-8 grade public charter school students for the 2004-05 school year shows 65.7 percent of NYC's public charter school students meeting or exceeding proficiency standards in math, a 9.1 percentage point increase over the previous year, compared to 52.9 percent of public school students citywide, which represents a 6.2 percentage point increase. "The previously released 2004-05 city and state English Language Arts (ELA) test results for NYC 3-8 grade public charter school students showed 60.3 percent of NYC's public charter school students meeting or exceeding standards in ELA, an 11.6 percentage point increase over the previous year. In comparison, 51.8 percent of public school students citywide met or exceeded ELA standards, a 10.7 percentage point increase over the previous year.
For more information on state math test results go to: www.nycenet.edu/daa/test_results/
For more information on the New York City Center for Charter School Excellence visit our Web site: www.nycchartercenter.org
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