Reading -- Root of the Problem?

Background in Brief:

Mayor Bloomberg's new eighth-grade promotion policy, which will begin in June, will require eighth-graders to pass classes in core subjects and score a basic level on English and math standardized tests in order to advance to high school.

Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Joel Kline have said that the intention is to make sure students are prepared to move on. If they are not, the administration argues, they should not advance. In theory, it seems reasonable. But the solution for failing middle schoolers could be far more complicated than making them repeat the a grade -- and relearn the exact same curriculum.

The Real Problem?

The issues stem from students not even being able to read, said Susan Crawford, of nonprofit organization The Right to Read. She wonders how repeating the same material -- without any extra help -- will benefit these students.

Christie Love, of Advocates for Children of New York, agreed. “[The policy] could potentially hold over 1,000 students this year. And there weren’t a lot of details given as to how the year that the students are repeating would be different than the year that they didn’t pass the first time. If they’re going to hold them back, what are they going to do to make sure that they succeed?”

Here are some supporting statistics from non-profit organization Coalition for Educational Justice:

• Less than half of NYC 8th graders can read and write at the state standard. In many schools in East Brooklyn, Harlem, and the South Bronx, fewer than 1 in 4 students can read and write on state standard.

• National tests show no improvement in 8th grade Reading scores over the past five years, and no narrowing of the achievement gap.

Middle schoolers aren't the only ones behind

A Gotham Schools article by Philissa Kramer showed that new high school requirements could cause the graduation rate in New York City to plummet.

Five years ago, the graduation rate was 37 percent. Now, it is just more than 50 percent but could drastically decrease as a result of the following requirements:

- "Beginning with this year's freshman class, all students will have to earn a Regents diploma by scoring a 65 or higher on five different state exams. Until now, the state has allowed students who scored between 55 and 64 on any of the tests to graduate with a less rigorous diploma."

At the Department of Education press conference, the Coalition for Educational Justice and other advocates were among those who urged that the DOE turn its focus to the high schools. Manhattan borough president Scott Stringer and the DOE's middle school initiatives leader Sabrina King both agreed that the groups' requests were reasonable. King said the DOE has added Regents-level courses to more middle schools in hopes of increasing the eighth grade promotion rate, as well.

"Student performance in eighth grade is a predictor of high school graduation, so we knew we had to start early," King said. "Otherwise, [students] don't have a fighting chance."