school daze

Just Because Our Students Are Graduating, Doesn’t Mean They Learned Much

New findings from the state’s Department of Education show that New York high school graduates lag far behind most school districts in terms of being prepared to go to college or start a career should they, you know, feel the need to further educate or support themselves. The state defines college and career readiness as scoring at least an 80 on the math Regents exam and at least a 75 on the English Regents exam. (In New York, students can graduate high school with at least a 65 on Regents tests.) In 2009, the last year for which figures are public, 77 percent of state students graduated, but only 44 percent left high school ready for college or a career, with significant race gaps among black and Hispanic students. Charter schools statewide were worse than that, posting a 49 percent graduation rate and just 10 percent readiness. Although Syracuse, where only 1 percent of Hispanic students graduated ready, and Rochester, where only 5 percent of the 47 percent who graduated met the standard, fared even worse, New York City’s rates were still depressing. Of the 65 percent that graduated, only 23 percent met the standard. Cathie Black better learn a better response technique to public booing lickety-split.

Graduates, but Ill-Prepared [WSJ]

Just Because Our Students Are Graduating, Doesn’t Mean They Learned Much