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Report cards underline issue of resources
March 17, 2005 Richard Mills Even as they demonstrate that students are rising to the challenge of ever-increasing standards, the latest State Education Department School Report Cards continue to show the undeniable correlation between student achievement and school resources. Based largely on 2004 statewide test results, the department's annual statistical package released March 9 shows the number of high school graduates is up for the eighth consecutive year. More students are graduating with a Regents Diploma, which requires a 65 or better on eight exams, including two math and two science exams. In addition, more students are taking and passing Regents Exams with a grade of 65 or better, even with five exams now required for graduation. Nevertheless, the School Report Cards also show the persistent performance gap that continues to separate students in poor, high-need districts from those in districts with more local resources and less dependence on state aid. State Education Commissioner Richard Mills singled out the "unacceptably low" four-year graduation rate for minority students. While fewer students are scoring at the lowest level — Level 1 — in the state's middle-level math and English Language Arts assessments, the largest percentages continue in the state's largest cities, according to SED statistics. |
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