New Report: NYC Student Proficiency Growing—As Testing Is Made Easier

Gains in English and math proficiency may not be indicative of genuine progress, as 2016 exams included major changes.

NEW YORK, NY — Proficiency seems to be on the rise in New York City schools, but testing changes obscure whether this is the result of genuine student progress. In the latest report in the Manhattan Institute’s Poverty & Progress in New York series, fellow Alex Armlovich finds that from 2015 to 2016, the percentage of students scoring proficient in ELA rose sharply (roughly 8 percentage points), while math proficiency gained only slightly (about 1 percentage point).

The report breaks down the proficiency growth from 2015 to 2016 by several demographic factors, including ethnicity, gender, income, disability, and English language learners. From 2015 to 2016, New York City students of all races, genders, family incomes, and disability status made considerable progress in English proficiency, while English language learners made no proficiency gains. Math proficiency growth was small and mixed: Hispanics and English language learners made no progress or regressed, while some low-income students made larger gains than their wealthier counterparts.

This growth, however, may simply be a reflection of the major changes introduced to the 2016 ELA and math exams, including fewer questions, unlimited time, and making 75% of the prior year’s similar test questions publicly available in advance.

Click here to read the full report.