Students in elementary and middle schools across New York City will spend several hours a day learning through computer programs as part of a “sprint” to boost math and reading scores ahead of state tests this spring.
Education officials confirmed the initiative launched earlier this year and aims to reverse learning losses seen during the pandemic, when schools temporarily shifted to remote and hybrid teaching. Screen-based instruction was made mandatory at some schools this week, according to records obtained by Gothamist.
But some parents and educators say they’re disappointed to see students sent back to screens when the lack of teacher presence during virtual learning appeared to slow academic progress in the first place.
“To be utilizing these canned computer-based programs concerns me,” said Jay Brown, a parent of a first and third grader in southern Brooklyn. “I don’t want the loss of personal interaction with the teachers.”
Education department officials confirmed they’re encouraging “an acceleration sprint” by using programs called Zearn, iReady and Amira. But they said the software is optional, and superintendents can choose how to use the programs.
At school District 9 in the South Bronx, the superintendent now requires all elementary and middle school students to devote time to math and reading practice on computers, according to memos obtained by Gothamist. State testing data from last spring shows just 19% of the district’s students in the third through eighth grades scored at or above grade level in math, while 31% met standards in reading.
Students in the district who are below grade level must spend 30 minutes a day on the math program Zearn, and 37 to 49 minutes a week on the English language arts program iReady, the memos show.
“Our students need research-based supports and interventions with fidelity now,” wrote Harry Sherman, the district’s superintendent, in an email to principals on Monday.
Meanwhile, at school District 15 in Brooklyn, several principals said their superintendent made the programs optional for elementary and middle school students. The district is home to many of the city’s higher-performing public schools, with 53% of students in the third through eighth grades meeting standards in math last year, while 58% met standards in reading.
The new policy comes two months before students in the third through eighth grades must take state math and reading tests.
And in order to make time for the screen-based interventions, students in some cases are taken out of social studies and science lessons, according to a Bronx principal who declined to be named because he feared losing his job for speaking publicly on the policy.
“I would not send my child to a school that was spending 30 minutes a day on Zearn,” said a Bronx administrator who also asked for anonymity because she was not authorized to speak to the press. “It’s just not how kids learn best.”
Nicole Brownstein, a spokesperson for the education department, said the programs are paid for by the city and do not affect school budgets.
“We must intensify our academic focus and supports in response to all of the instructional time lost during the pandemic,” Brownstein said.
Kemala Karmen, cofounder and advisory committee member of NYC Opt Out, which advocates for less testing in schools, said she was concerned when former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration in 2021 announced plans to spend millions of dollars on new software to “screen” students for learning loss. She criticized the push under Mayor Eric Adams’ administration for students to spend even more time on computer programs.
“You buy the diagnostic and then you buy the diagnostic’s curriculum to help you do better on the diagnostic,” Karmen said.
Many schools have for years used versions of these programs to gauge students’ progress. But administrators said this is the first time schools have been required to use them for instruction.
Amy Tsai, a Bronx parent and member of the District 75 Citywide Council, said she has been impressed by iReady, the English language software.
“It’s pretty kid-friendly,” said Tsai. “It does motivate the kids to move further … It’s pretty rigorous.”
But she’s worried about extending the computer interventions to students in grades as early as kindergarten, and said city officials should steer away from “excessive” assessments and computer-based learning.
Bahar Ostadan contributed reporting to this story.
Clarification: This story has been updated to note that the screen-based learning initiative was launched earlier this calendar year but was made mandatory at some schools this week.
