Bloomberg Wins On School Tests

Mayor Michael Bloombergs Panel for Education Policy secured a major victory Monday night with an 8-to-5 vote to end social promotion.
In doing so, the panel has dealt a severe blow to the practice of advancing failing third grade students. Now, children who score poorly on standardized tests in math and English will be retained in the same grade. An estimated 15,000 to 20,000 children, or 20 to 25% of third graders, could be affected by the policy change.
The Bloomberg administrations initiative one of the core planks on which Bloomberg campaigned for mayor is designed to end the controversial practice called "social promotion." Under social promotion, a student is advanced to the next grade, even though he/she may not have met the educational requirements and/or skills for that next grade.
Social promotion defenders say the practice does not harm students in the initial school years nor make a mockery of the learning process and the merit-based grade advancement system. The mayor and other education analysts differed markedly from that view, arguing that advancing a student to the next grade without having learned the required skills places the student at a disadvantage in the long run, and does not adequately address the problem at its source.
The mayor, who has made education system performance improvement and increased student learning his administrations top priority, also reorganized the panel, under new powers granted to the mayor in 2002 by New Yorks state legislature. As a result of that new state law, the panel was placed primarily under the mayors control. The law allows the Bloomberg administration to appoint eight of the thirteen panel members. The borough presidents appoint the remaining five.
On Monday afternoon, the mayor dismissed two members, and Staten Island Borough President Jim Molinaro, dismissed a third. The three were replaced by three panelists who favor the mayors policy change.
"Yesterday the Panel for Education Policy opposed this new policy," said Councilman John Liu, a member of the Councils Education Committee, criticizing about the lineup switch. "They opposed it 8 to 5. Unfortunately at the eleventh hour, the mayor completely usurped the process and replaced three who were opposed with three who voted whatever the mayor wanted. This is a completely unacceptable end run around the process."
Under the new policy, third graders will take standardized tests in reading and math in April, and will be scored according to a 4-point scale. Students must score at least a "2" on each test to be promoted. Students scoring a "1," the lowest score on the scale, on one or both of the tests will be retained in the same grade.
"What will it do to the self-esteem?" said Queens Borough President Helen Marshall, herself a former city school teacher. "I want to make sure they get the help they need."
However, there will be an automatic review for each holdback, in which a students teacher and other supervisors will evaluate the childs work. Depending on this assessment, a child may be promoted in June or, after summer school, in August. A child who takes the citys new day-long summer school program and passes the test in August will be promoted.
The social promotion debate has been ongoing since the mayor announced two months ago that he intended to end the practice. The mayor and other education analysts argue that advancing a student to the next grade without having learned the required skills places the student at a disadvantage in the long run, and does not adequately address the problem at its source. They believe that the inability to read is far worse than any social stigma that comes with being left behind.
And many parents support Bloombergs view:
"Kids who cant score above a 1 need to be re-taught," said Fran Klimavicious, PTA vice president of PS 184, who supported the mayors plan. "I dont like to see kids who get into the six grade who cant read. If your child goes on a trip and all the children are busy taking notes and your child cant write, where does he fit in in that classroom?"
Those against holding back third graders emphasized the social impact on failing children.
The mayor underscored throughout his campaign and also during his first three years in office that if he "cant improve the citys education system and increase student learning" he "should be voted out of office."
For the above reason, and perhaps borrowing from his "everyone produces, everyone contributes" corporate management philosophy he developed at the multi-billion dollar financial information company that bears his name.
In essence, analysts say Bloomberg saw in education reform "two wins" that voters and taxpayers would recognize as substantial: making a large government service more efficient (in the form of leaner school budgets) and improving its productivity (in the form of student learning).