City Says More Students Going To College
Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña announced last Thursday, Dec. 18 that high school graduation rates for the class of 2014 rose to 68.4 percent, a 2.4 precent jump from 2013. The dropout rate also decreased 0.9 points to 9.7 percent.
Overall, more New York City students graduated this year compared to last, but black and Latino students had higher gains. Black students’ graduation rates increased to 63.8 percent, a 2.6 point gain from 2013, and Latino students posted a 61.4 percent graduation rate which is a 2.5 point increase from last year.
“We must make progress and increase graduation rates further and make sure students stay in college and are equipped to have meaningful careers,” Fariña said of the increase in graduation rates.
A larger number of students also met two college readiness standards, New York State’s Aspirational Performance Measures (APM) and New York City’s College Readiness Index (CRI).
The APM standards state that a student must get a score of 80 or higher on a Regents math exam as well as score 75 or higher on the Regents English test. Among the graduates of the class of 2014, 39.5 percent met the APM standards, a 1.8 point rise.
The CRI standards say a student is required to meet one of several requirements: meeting the APM standards, receiving a certain SAT or ACT score, or passing CUNY’s assessments. The percent of graduates that met the CRI standards rose 0.5 points to 47.3 percent.
Phil Weinberg, the deputy chancellor of teaching and learning said, “I’m pleased to see positive progress as we ramp up our efforts to transform teaching and learning for every student in New York City.” He added, “I look forward to our continued collective hard work as we prepare more young people for graduation, success in college and careers, and a lifetime of learning.”
New York City’s approach to helping high school students reach college and a brighter future starts with the teachers and principals. That is why, as part of their recent contract, teachers are now using 80 minutes each Monday for professional development, strengthening their skills, and giving them the chance to learn from instructional coaches as well as their peers.
The Department of Education is also working with New York State along with external partners to grow the 318 Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs across 139 schools. CTE programs include rigorous instruction, apprenticeship and internship programs, and help for students to gain industryrecognized credentials, all while preparing them for a large number of college and career opportunities.
