A Successful School Grows in Brooklyn Heights, Maybe Too Much

According to the NY Times, P.S. 8 in Brooklyn Heights was once praised by city officials for its turnaround from a school "avoided by the well-off residents of neighboring brownstones" to one "so popular...it has doubled its enrollment since 2002." Even city officials recently praised its success. But now, the city will give it an F on its school report card, because the Department of Education says students aren't improving at a rate comparable to other schools. However, others blame the city's grading system. As Inside Schools put it, "More-than-majority weight on student academic progress — measured by standardized test scores — means that schools that start with more kids on or above grade level can show less ‘progress’ than more challenged schools."