1. School Report Cards 2004–2005

2. 2 The Bottom Line More schools are making Adequate Yearly Progress. Fewer students show serious academic problems (Level 1) in elementary and middle school. More students are reaching higher standards (Level 3 and 4) in elementary school and in middle school math, but not middle school English.

3. 3 The Bottom Line More students are graduating each year, and more are earning Regents Diplomas. But – In the Class of 2005 – as we’ve seen – too few graduated in 4 years. More graduate in 5 years. Data show graduation rates are closely tied to attendance rates. As attendance declines below 95%, graduation rates decline significantly.

4. 4 The Bottom Line The Class of 2005 was among the first to take the higher standards middle school tests. Many scored in Level 1 then. The groups of students who came after them have performed much better in elementary and middle school. This indicates graduation rates should go up in the future. In fact, more students are passing Regents Exams, which indicates students are doing better in their courses. But there is no time to waste.

5. 5 The Bottom Line The Regents will extend New York’s education reform with a focus on high school. They are considering setting graduation targets and attendance targets and holding schools accountable for them. They are focused on new reforms in teaching and in school safety.

6. 6 More Schools Are Making Adequate Yearly Progress Schools make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) if they reach an annual target for improvement set by the state. This shows some good improvement overall. The number of indicators for which a school is accountable depends on: –the grade levels in the school and –the number of accountability groups. –The School AYP Rate is the percentage of indicators for which a school is accountable and for which they made AYP. A K-5 school could have as many as 27 indicators, with 9 accountability groups (race/ethnicity, ELL, special education, etc.) on each of 3 tests.

7. 7 Holding Schools Accountable: The Bottom Line How Many Schools Made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)? Overall, the percentage of schools making AYP on all measures increased from 75.0 to 83.1%.

8. 8 Schools Making AYP – Elementary Schools A larger percentage of schools made AYP in 2004-05 than in 2003-04 in mathematics.

9. 9 Schools Making AYP – Middle Schools A larger percentage of schools made AYP in 2004-05 than in 2003-04 in English and in science.

10. 10 Schools Making AYP – High Schools More schools made AYP in 2004-05 than in 2003-04 in English and math.

11. 11 Nonetheless, as we saw in February, graduation rates for the Class of 2005 were too low.

12. 12 Transferred to GED Programs 4.8% Graduated 64.1% Dropped Out 10.9% Still Enrolled 18.4% IEP Diploma 1.8% All Students in Public Schools 2001 Cohort Students = 214,494 2001 Cohort After Four Years: 64 percent of students in the 2001 cohort graduated by June 2005; 18 percent were still enrolled and 11% had dropped out.

13. 13 Transferred to GED Programs 5.7% Graduated 71.2% Dropped Out 15.3% Still Enrolled 5.7% IEP Diploma 2.1% All Students in Public Schools 210,159 Students 2000 Cohort After 5 Years: 71 percent of students in the 2000 cohort graduated by June 2005, 6 percent were still enrolled.

14. 14 Key Fact - Graduation rates are strongly tied to attendance rates.

15. 15 Average Attendance Rates for 2003-04 Public Schools OnlyAll Students Average attendance rates decline with poverty. The average rates here may seem high but mask large differences among schools.

16. 16 Schools with the lowest attendance rates also have the lowest graduation rates. Graduation rates tend to drop as schools fall below 95% attendance. The graduation rate decline gets very large the more attendance falls below 92%. Graduation Rates after four years for the 2001 cohort Annual Attendance Rates [Schools are arranged by deciles.]

17. 17 Who Are the Students? Performance in Elementary and Middle School Who are the students in the Class of 2005? They are the students who took the 8 th grade tests soon after New York’s education reform – and higher standards tests – began. Many showed serious academic problems then. Who are the students who came after them and are now in high school? They are students who generally showed improved achievement in elementary and middle school.

18. Performance on the Elementary and Middle School English and Math Tests by Income, Race/Ethnicity, and Need/Resource Capacity Index

19. 19 Elementary English: Achievement Gap Closing High Need Districts showed the biggest increase in the number of students meeting all the standards this year. High Need Districts have shown major improvement since 1999. Percentage of Students Scoring at Levels 3 and 4 All Students Public Schools Only

20. 20 Elementary-Level English: Fewer Students Show Serious Academic Problems In the Big 5 Cities and in the Urban-Suburban Districts, substantially smaller numbers of students scored at Level 1 in 2005 than in 1999. All StudentsPublic Schools Only Percentage of Students Scoring at Level 1

21. 21 Elementary-Level English: In both income groups, the percentage of students meeting the standards increased in 2005. Percent of Students Scoring at Levels 3 and 4 Percent of Students Scoring at Level 1 2005 Count of Tested Elementary-Level ELA Students: Disadvantaged: 93,838 Not Disadvantaged: 102,004 All StudentsPublic Schools Only

22. 22 Elementary English: Major Progress for Minority Students For the first time, more than half of Black and Hispanic students now meet all standards. The achievement gap has closed significantly since 1999. Percentage of Students Scoring at Levels 3 and 4

23. 23 Elementary-Level English: Major Progress for Minority Students Fewer Black and Hispanic students than ever before showed serious academic problems by scoring at Level 1. Since 1999, the decline has been significant. All StudentsPublic Schools Only Percentage of Students Scoring at Level 1

24. 24 Elementary-Level Mathematics The percentage of students achieving all the standards increased in every need/resource capacity category. Since 1999, New York City and the Big Four have achieved increases of about 25 percentage points. Percentage of Students Scoring at Levels 3 and 4

25. 25 Elementary-Level Mathematics The percentage of students with serious academic problems has declined. The biggest declines have been in the Big Five. Percentage of Students Scoring at Level 1 Public Schools OnlyAll Students

26. 26 Elementary-Level Mathematics Comparing 2005 with 2001, more disadvantaged students are meeting the standards and fewer are scoring at Level 1. Percent of Students Scoring at Levels 3 and 4 Percent of Students Scoring at Level 1 2005 Count of Tested Elementary-Level Mathematics Students: Disadvantaged: 103,648 Not Disadvantaged: 103,568 All StudentsPublic Schools Only

27. 27 Elementary-Level Mathematics: Achievement Gap is Closing The percentage of Black and Hispanic students meeting all the standards improved significantly this year. The percent doing so has increased by over 30 percentage points since 1999. Percentage of Students Scoring at Levels 3 and 4

28. 28 Elementary-Level Mathematics The percentage of Black and Hispanic students with serious academic problems has declined substantially since 1999. Percentage of Students Scoring at Level 1 Public Schools OnlyAll Students

29. 29 Middle-Level Mathematics Despite a decline in 2005, more students overall are achieving all the standards now than in 1999. Percentage of Students Scoring at Levels 3 and 4 All Students Public Schools Only

30. 30 Middle-Level Mathematics In each need/resource capacity category more students achieved at least partial proficiency in the standards in 2005 than in 1999. Percentage of Students Scoring at Levels 2, 3, and 4 Public Schools Only All Students

31. 31 Middle-Level Mathematics Fewer Students Show Serious Academic Problems Compared with 2004, the percentage of students with serious academic problems declined in New York City and most districts, but increased slightly in the Big Four. Percentage of Students Scoring at Level 1

32. 32 Middle-Level Mathematics The performance of disadvantaged students improved steadily between 2001 and 2005. Percent of Students Scoring at Levels 3 and 4 Percent of Students Scoring at Level 1 2005 Count of Tested Middle-Level Mathematics Students: Disadvantaged: 101,050 Not Disadvantaged: 120,138 Public Schools Only All Students

33. 33 Middle-Level Mathematics The percentage of students meeting all the standards declined in each racial/ethnic group in 2005. However, it increased overall between 1999 and 2004. Despite the decrease in 2005, Black and Hispanic students were more than twice as likely to meet the standards in 2005 as in 1999. However, their performance is still too low. Percentage of Students Scoring at Levels 3 and 4

34. 34 Middle-Level Mathematics The percentage of Black and Hispanic students scoring at Level 2 or above increased by over 30 percentage points between 1999 and 2005. Percentage of Students Scoring at Levels 2, 3, and 4 Public Schools OnlyAll Students

35. 35 Middle-Level Mathematics In all racial/ethnic groups, the percentage of students scoring at Level 1 has decreased since 1999, including this year. The percentage of Black, Hispanic, Asian and White students scoring at Level 1 has been reduced by more than half. Percentage of Students Scoring at Level 1 All StudentsPublic Schools Only

36. 36 Middle-Level English Statewide, the percentage of students meeting the standards increased by less than one percentage point. Rural, average and low need districts achieved two to four percentage point increases. New York City declined, and the Big 4 stayed about the same. All Students The percentage of students scoring at Levels 3 and 4 Public Schools Only

37. 37 Middle-Level English In every category except Large Cities, 90 percent or more of students met some of the standards. All Students The percentage of students scoring at Levels 2, 3, and 4 Public Schools Only

38. 38 Middle-Level English: Fewer Students Have Problems New York City and High Need Urban-Suburban Districts have significantly reduced the percentage of students scoring at Level 1 between 1999 and 2005. The percentage of students scoring at Level 1

39. 39 Middle-Level English The percentage of disadvantaged students scoring at Level 1 in 2005 was half the percentage in 2001. Percent of Students Scoring at Levels 3 and 4 Percent of Students Scoring at Level 1 2005 Count of Tested Middle-Level ELA Students: Disadvantaged: 95,868 Not Disadvantaged: 119,188 All Students Public Schools Only

40. 40 Middle-Level English: Achievement Gap Persists A large performance gap still exists between White and Asian students and students in other racial/ethnic groups. Percentage of Students Scoring at Levels 3 and 4 All Students Public Schools Only

41. 41 Middle-Level English More Black and Hispanic students scored at Level 2 or higher in 2005 than in any previous year. Public Schools Only Percentage of Students Scoring at Levels 2, 3, and 4 All Students

42. 42 Middle-Level English: Fewer Have Serious Problems Fewer Black and Hispanic students show serious academic problems, scoring at Level 1. All StudentsPublic Schools Only The percentage of students scoring at Level 1

43. 43 What Does Elementary, Middle School Achievement Show Us? Many students in the Class of 2005 – those who took the 8 th grade tests in 2001 – were not prepared for high school work. Rising achievement for more recent groups of students should help raise future graduation rates. However, we must – and will – still do more for all students now. (More on that later)

44. 44 High School Student Achievement Too many students in the Class of 2005 did not take the Regents Exams in 4 years because they were not prepared for high school work, failed their courses, and did not earn enough credits. Many are still in school.

45. 45 More students who entered 9 th grade in 2001 passed the Regents Exams than graduated in 4 years. But too many students were not tested because they failed their courses. Examination Percent Not Tested Percent Scoring 0-5455-6465-100 English 21.0%5.0%6.2%67.9% Mathematics 20.1%5.7%7.4%66.9% Global History 18.7%6.7%6.8%67.7% U.S. History 23.6%4.6%6.4%65.3% Science 17.4%4.6%5.6%72.3%

46. 46 Most of the students who entered 9 th grade in 2001 and dropped out after 4 years typically had not taken Regents Exams. Many who took them passed. Again, they did not take them because they did not pass their courses.

47. 47 As of June 30, 2005 % of Students who began 9 th Grade in 2001 passing Regents Exams at 55 After 4 years % of Students who began 9 th Grade in 2000 passing Regents Exams at 55 After 5 years English79.377.8 Math79.975.5 Global79.578.5 U.S. History76.576.1 Science82.680.5 Students who started 9 th grade in 200l appear to have passed Regents Exams at somewhat higher rates after 4 years than students who started 9 th grade in 2000 after 5 years.

48. Overall, more students now are taking and passing Regents Exams each year.

49. 49 Regents English The number of students passing the Regents English Exam has increased since 1996, and especially since 2002. All Students

50. 50 Regents Mathematics The number of students taking and passing Regents Math has increased greatly, especially since 2002. Data for 1999– 2002 include both Mathematics A and Sequential Mathematics, Course I. Data for 2003 through 2005 are for Mathematics A only. All Students

51. 51 Regents Global History and Geography The number of students passing Global History has increased significantly since 2002. The data for 2001 through 2003 are for the Regents Global History and Geography examination only. The data for 2000 are for both the Regents Global History and Geography and Global Studies examinations. The data for previous years are for Regents Global Studies only. All Students

52. 52 Regents U.S. History & Government The number of students passing U.S. History has increased greatly since 2000. All Students

53. 53 Regents Living Environment/Biology The number of students passing the Biology Exam has increased greatly since 2000 and made a big jump this year. All Students Data for 1996 through 2000 are for the Regents Biology examination. Data for 2001 are for both the Regents Biology and the Regents Living Environment examinations. Data for 2002 through 2005 are for the Regents Living Environment examination.

54. 54 More students are graduating each year and more are reaching higher standards and earning Regents Diplomas.

55. 55 Graduates Since higher standards were adopted in 1996, the number of high school graduates has increased, and especially in the past two years. All Students Counts for 1995-96 through 2000-01 include January, June, and August graduates of the reporting year. Beginning in 2001-02, August graduates are included with January and June graduates of the next school year.

56. 56 General-Education Students: Total Number of Diplomas Awarded and Number of Regents Diplomas 1996-97 to 2004-05 School Years More general-education graduates are reaching higher standards. More are earning Regents Diplomas. The increase in Regents Diplomas last year was especially large, because for the first time, students could earn a Regents Diploma passing 5 Regents Exams and an Advanced Regents Diploma with 8 Regents Exams.

57. 57 Students with Disabilities: Total Number of Diplomas Awarded and Number of Regents Diplomas 1996-97 to 2004-05 School Years More graduates with disabilities are reaching higher standards. More are earning Regents Diplomas. The increase in Regents diplomas last year was especially large, because for the first time, students could earn a Regents Diploma passing 5 Regents Exams and an Advanced Regents Diploma with 8 Regents Exams.

58. 58 To Recap – Key Facts to Remember

59. 59 Holding Schools Accountable: The Bottom Line How Many Schools Made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)? Overall, the percentage of schools making AYP on all measures increased from 75.0 to 83.1%.

60. 60 Transferred to GED Programs 4.8% Graduated 64.1% Dropped Out 10.9% Still Enrolled 18.4% IEP Diploma 1.8% All Students in Public Schools 2001 Cohort Students = 214,494 2001 Cohort After Four Years: 64 percent of students in the 2001 cohort graduated by June 2005; 18 percent were still enrolled and 11% had dropped out.

61. 61 Schools with the lowest attendance rates also have the lowest graduation rates. Graduation rates tend to drop as schools fall below 95% attendance. The graduation rate decline gets very large the more attendance falls below 92%. Graduation Rates after four years for the 2001 cohort Annual Attendance Rates [Schools are arranged by deciles.]

62. 62 Elementary English: Major Progress for Minority Students For the first time, more than half of Black and Hispanic students now meet all standards. The achievement gap has closed significantly since 1999. Percentage of Students Scoring at Levels 3 and 4

63. 63 Middle-Level Mathematics In all racial/ethnic groups, the percentage of students scoring at Level 1 has decreased since 1999, including this year. The percentage of Black, Hispanic, Asian and White students scoring at Level 1 has been reduced by more than half. Percentage of Students Scoring at Level 1 All StudentsPublic Schools Only

64. 64 Graduates Since higher standards were adopted in 1996, the number of high school graduates has increased, and especially in the past two years. All Students Counts for 1995-96 through 2000-01 include January, June, and August graduates of the reporting year. Beginning in 2001-02, August graduates are included with January and June graduates of the next school year.

65. 65 The Bottom Line We have a mixed picture with progress for later classes after the students who first took the higher standards elementary and middle school tests –but recent graduation rates that are much too low. There is no time to waste.

66. 66 What Schools Are Doing Analyzing academic needs of all entering 9 th graders who scored in Level 1 on 8 th grade English and Math, placing place them in intensive catch-up classes, and matching specific services to each student’s way of learning Providing extra training to middle & high school teachers to make sure they know how to teach reading Making sure entering 9 th graders get to know several adults well Calling the homes of students with repeated absences, making home visits if needed

67. 67 What Schools Are Doing Working with health, service, and community organizations and colleges to support students Analyzing data to determine the best solutions for students in different situations Creating different high schools, with individualized classes, for disengaged students who are not succeeding in the regular high school Creating smaller schools with learning environments geared to the needs of individual students Teaching students how to manage their time, take notes, and study

68. 68 What the Regents Are Considering To Reform High School Set graduation targets. Measure results. Raise the targets each year. Set attendance targets. Measure results. Hold schools accountable for meeting the targets. Accelerate SURR requirements. Reform teaching by requiring, at a date certain, all teachers to teach only in their certification area. Monitor safety plans and violent incident data and require reforms.