Laughing cruelly in the face of ADHD, public school officials announced this week that math and reading tests for third through eight-graders in the city will increase by about three hours, to a total of almost six hours overall. Better sharpen those pencils, suckers. 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 ›

It's been a topsy-turvy year for the sexual health of the city. Back in March, the city took a step back when it quietly cut funding for free routine STD screenings at medical centers, but then last month made strides by implementing a more thorough sex ed curriculum across all public schools. Now, health care providers are feeling the effects of those decisions, as doctors are seeing an influx of patients seeking STD testing across the city. The catch? Many of those patients can't afford it. 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 ›

Last Thursday a dead raccoon was found in Prospect Park, and soon after tested positive for rabies. Since then, locals have been criticizing the park for not testing other dead animals in the past—as is standard procedure in Central Park (where 120 raccoons tested positive this year, and a vaccination program was established). Some claim clean up crews stall on picking up reported dead animals, leaving them to believe the city is part of the problem... and we are all seconds away from a rabid zombie-animal takeover. more ›

State officials have recognized a few more consequences of the state's standardized tests being deemed too easy. On top of students advancing grades without being properly prepared, the "improved" math and English scores led to student placement in selective middle schools and bonuses for teachers. Testing critic Diane Ravitch told the Daily News, "[The progress reports] are only as good as the data they are based on, and now we know the data is phony. Schools have been punished and teachers have been rewarded based on these fraudulent tests." Those "rewards" cost the city $33 million. more ›

P.S. 86 principal Karen Zuvic really wants to make sure her students do the best they can. That's why when the answers to New York state's 5th grade social studies test came back, she let 10 students complete questions they left blank, which would be a violation of state regulations. But one staff member at the Queens school said Zuvic just had the students' best interests at heart. The social studies exam doesn't factor into the school's ratings, so the changed answers would just be a part of each student's record. Zuvic blames the teachers for not pointing out to students that they left sections unanswered, and said students "shouldn’t walk away with a lower score because a teacher didn’t do their job proctoring." more ›

Though the DOE is considering developing new tests for gifted admission, they may be ignoring the one part of the test that worries parents most. Statistics showed that the number of black and Latino students admitted into gifted programs had dropped significantly in the past three years, but many parents are more worried that a test taken at the age of four could determine their child's education for the next six years. Furthermore, new tests administered in 2012 may include children as young as three. more ›

Though girls have been surpassing boys in higher education for years, they're beginning to become overrepresented in elementary school classrooms. Currently, about 49% of the city's kindergartners are girls, but they represent 56% of the kindergarten "gifted" classes. Conversely, a 2002 study said boys are "overrepresented in programs for learning disabilities, mental retardation and emotional disturbance, and slightly underrepresented in gifted programs." “It’s kind of weird and stuff," said one boy in the New Explorations in Science and Technology and Math school for gifted children, remarking on his minority status. more ›

Thanks in part to decadent chairs, $50k ten-day consultants, and state charter school policies, NY state was one of the biggest losers in last week's bid to receive federal education money via the "Race to the Top" program. But all hope is not lost: the fed government is setting aside $350 million specifically for states who create tougher testing standards. (More precisely, according to the Daily News headline: "New York gets another shot millions to make school tests tougher." We get all the shot millions!) more ›

In 2005, the city started an education and testing program to help STD-infected high school students, but kids today just can't seem to get enough of these STDs, and now statistics suggest that more students are infected with chlamydia or gonorrhea than when the program started. Nearly 6 percent of the 11,410 teens who submitted voluntary confidential urine samples during the past school year tested positive for one of those two infections. While that percentage is lower than the 2007-08 school year (when 7.3 percent tested positive) it's still up from 2006-07, when the infection rate among a smaller sample of students was just 4.8 percent. more ›

Even though the state has required developmental screening for pre-K students for years, parents are confused as to why the city has just begun to enforce it. Developmental screening for subsidized and public preschool programs is supposed to identify children who may need extra help, but parents and teachers think the tests come too early. "I don't think the test can give an accurate picture of where a child is," teacher Crystal Salas told the Daily News. The test requires toddlers to play with blocks, draw pictures and identify shapes and colors. Can't they just give the kids the marshmallow test and call it a day? more ›

This is the funnest thing to happen to boring old milk since the crazy straw! The Coca-Cola Company just launched a new carbonated milk drink called Vio "Vibrancy Drink," and New Yorkers are the first consumers in the world to pour the product into their discerning mouth holes! Developed in their Atlanta laboratory, the beverage requires no refrigeration and comes in four "natural" flavors: peach mango, berry, citrus, and tropical colada. According to the Post, it's being sold in delis around NYC for about $2.50 per 8oz aluminium bottle, and each bottle has 26 grams of sugar. The company promises that Vio is "a refreshing sensory experience" that contains just "a hint of rBGH-free skim milk" and tastes "like a birthday party for a polar bear." And a reviewer for BevNET.com, a drink industry research site, says the Peach Mango Vio is "slightly reminiscent of a lassi drink. However, what starts out seeming not so sweet turns almost overwhelming by the time you are half way through the bottle." Which makes sense, because polar bear birthday parties can get a little overwhelming. Have you tried this exciting new carbonated milk product yet, and if so, how refreshing was your sensory experience? more ›

Two readers have e-mailed us with reports of strange, pretty lights over Brooklyn or Queens last night. Here's an account of one sighting:

I saw something weird in the sky last night, and a bunch of other people did, too. Disclaimer: I am NOT a U.F.O. person, nor do I think that's what I saw. I'm just very curious to figure out what exactly it was. I'm sure there's a scientific explanation of some kind. more ›

Hey there fellow F train straphangers, good news is rolling into a station near you sometime soon. Control Geek has a report from this morning: "I was waiting for the F subway at 15th Street/Prospect Park Brooklyn this morning and a brand new train came in! Apparently they were testing it, it had the automated announcements and everything. To keep people from boarding, they were opening the doors on the wrong side." Lost City also spotted the test trains (and their "folding, Paris-Metro-like seats") a few weeks ago. Now that the F has caught up and ditched the yellow, orange and brown color scheme...is it time to work on the seatless subways of the future? more ›