TEST SCORES PLUMMET AFTER NEW YORK ADOPTS COMMON CORE STANDARDS

by DR. SUSAN BERRY

Student test scores on New York state exams plummeted this year following the state’s adoption of the Common Core national standards.

According to the New York Times, in New York City, 26 percent of students in third through eighth grade passed the state English exam, and only 30 percent passed the math test, compared to 47 percent and 60 percent, respectively, last year.

The Times indicates that city and state officials were expecting the significant drop in scores. Nevertheless, educators and parents reportedly expressed shock when the test results were released.

Chrystina Russell, principal of Global Technology Preparatory in East Harlem, said she was unsure what to say to parents. At her middle school, seven percent of students were rated proficient in English and 10 percent in math on the new tests, while, last year, the proportion passing were 33 percent and 46 percent, respectively.

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