Fewer New York City students were proficient readers last school year, after the Adams administration started to overhaul how literacy is taught in public schools, the local Education Department announced Wednesday.
Just 49.1% of third through eighth graders scored proficient on their state English language arts exams — down 2.6 percentage points from the year before. Schools that already implemented the new curriculum fared worse than those that had yet to make the change.
“Significant change does not happen overnight,” Schools Chancellor David Banks said in a statement, “and the slight decline in ELA test scores represents a transitional period as our school system adjusts to a new method of instruction.”
Ahead of last school year, Mayor Adams and Banks announced a curriculum mandate for the city’s public elementary schools, pointing to years of stagnant test scores and racial disparities.
Half of district superintendents selected one of three options with a focus on phonics and what’s known as the “science of reading,” shifting away from a popular but flawed approach that encouraged students to use pictures and other context clues to guess words. The initiative will expand to all districts when students return to school next month.
The drop in test scores were particularly profound in Brooklyn’s Districts 20 and 22, from Bay Ridge to Sheepshead Bay, and Queens’ District 25, including Flushing. In those pockets of the city, where the new curriculum was implemented last school year, literacy rates declined by 4.0 or more percentage points, data show.
Despite the early challenges, Banks said the school system will proceed with the next phase of the rollout.
The Adams administration, joined by experts, chalked up the declines to an implementation dip as teachers receive coaching in updated methods and expose their students to a new approach.
“An overhaul of reading instruction in the New York City public schools has been long overdue,” said Kim Sweet, executive director of of Advocates for Children of New York. “As much as we want to see immediate results from NYC Reads, we always knew that successful implementation would take time. We need to take the long view and work for lasting change that prepares all students for successful futures.”
While state tests are only administered to students in third grade or older, the local Education Department in a press release cited “promising improvement” on the city’s regular tests for younger kids in kindergarten through second grade.
Reading screener data — captured three times each school year, and used by teachers to gauge how students are understanding the material — increased 1.8 percentage points over the school year. The grade band covers crucial years for literacy development as young children learn basic reading skills.
“Change is difficult, but we’re staying the course and we’re confident we’re on the right track,” said Susan Neuman, an NYU professor and Literacy Advisory Council member. “The screener data is promising and probably a better measure of initial signs of improvement.”