Reading Scores Show Improvement...Or Do They?

Yesterday, the city announced that reading scores of public schools students improved. According to the Post, "The percentage of third-through eighth-graders in the city's public schools who scored proficiently on state reading tests spiked from 57.6 to 68.8 percent in the last year," giving Mayor Bloomberg a reason to crow, it's "nothing short of amazing and exactly what this country needs." However, the NY Times reports there are skeptics, "The actual test scores and the percentage of students meeting standards can tell very different stories because it takes only a few correct answers to cross the line between Level 2, which is considered failing, and Level 3. For example, in the eighth grade, 57 percent of students met standards in New York City, compared with 43 percent last year. The actual scores show a different picture, with the average rising to 653 out of 790, up just 6 points from 647 last year." A secondary school principal was a doubter when she spoke to the Daily News, "After seven years of these improved test scores, how come the children we're getting in high school aren't reading any better and don't show any greater love of literature?"