While NYC student scores on state tests dropped this year, a number of charter schools rose to the challenge.
New York Post columnist Michael Goodwin describes the impressive test results from Success Academy Charter Schools run by StudentsFirstNY board member Eva Moskowitz. Goodwin notes that Moskowitz takes a bold approach in focusing on student success rather than scoring political points and catering to union demands.
According to Goodwin, the numbers speak for themselves:
Of the 1,500 kids in her Harlem and South Bronx schools who took the Common Core exams, 82 percent got a passing score in math, and 58 percent passed English.
Across the city, the pass rates were 26 percent in English and 30 percent in math. Many other charter schools also had dismal showings, and not all passing scores are equal. Moskowitz’s students scored a disproportionate number of 4’s, meaning the top range.
Her gloriously lopsided results - her network topped Scarsdale schools by 14 points in math! - would be suspicious, except they happen routinely. Year after year, even as the number of students in her Success Academies grows, she cracks the code on getting disadvantaged children to excel.