Yes, the test question that New York's eighth graders had to answer involving a race between a hare and a pineapple might be a little "zany" for some. And it's true that two of the questions didn't make any sense and had no definitive answer. But it's far from the "crap" that it's accused of being, and frankly, our eighth grade selves would have been thrilled to answer a reading comprehension question that didn't involve lemonade stands or the Industrial Revolution. more ›

Even when failing a test—with a score of 55%—still meant passing, 44% of New York City high school students still managed to flunk the Global History Regents exam last year. The statewide exams, first issued in 1865, are administered to gauge student achievement and college preparedness. This year the passing bar has been raised higher, from 55% to 65% and educators fear that the higher test-score expectations could result in lower graduation rates. more ›

According to new data released by the NYPD [pdf], an average of one student is arrested every day in the city's school system, and three others are issued summonses. During summer school from July through September, four students each day are arrested, and 94% of those arrested are black or Latino, and 83% are male. "The data raise concerns about black students being disproportionately arrested in the city's schools," Donna Lieberman, the executive director of the NYCLU says in a release. "If the Bloomberg administration is truly serious about closing the achievement gap, then they must address this disparity and focus more attention on educating children—not arresting them.” more ›

Hey, parents, get ready for your kids to cram: Due to Federal Race to the Top funding rules, the Department of Education is currently working on an additional series of tests for its students which, while giving scores to kids, will actually be testing teachers. Details are still being hammered out but the new system could mean up to 16 new additional tests, possibly administered in two parts, for students between 3rd and 12th grades. more ›

Public school children across the state between grades four and eight showed tremendous improvements in their standardized test scores in recently released results from the state education officials. In particular, NYC and the "Big Four" --Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Yonkers--made double digits increases that have now prompted some to wonder if the most recent test was too easy. more ›