Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

MAP: Fourth Grade Test Scores Fall Below Citywide Average in South Bronx

By Eddie Small | October 9, 2015 3:17pm | Updated on October 11, 2015 8:46pm
 P.S. 277 had the highest percentage of fourth graders who passed the state math test in District 7, but this number was still below the citywide average.
P.S. 277 had the highest percentage of fourth graders who passed the state math test in District 7, but this number was still below the citywide average.
View Full Caption
DNAinfo/Eddie Small

SOUTH BRONX — None of the fourth grade classes in the South Bronx hit the citywide average for students who passed this year's state exams, according to DNAinfo's analysis of 2015 test results.

Across the city, an average of 31.3 percent of fourth graders passed the English Language Arts exam, while an average of 39.1 percent passed the math exam.

However, no class hit these numbers throughout District 7 in the South Bronx, which mainly covers the borough's Mott Haven and Melrose neighborhoods.

The school in the district that came closest to achieving the average results in ELA was P.S. 154, where 23 percent of fourth graders passed, while the school that came closest to hitting the citywide mark for math was P.S. 277, where 38.1 percent of fourth graders passed.

P.S. 154 ranked 414th throughout the city for ELA scores, while P.S. 277 ranked 321st for math.

Geneal Chacon, president of the parents association at P.S. 277, said she was happy that her school was number one in its district for math scores, but staff would now start to focus on getting the scores higher compared to schools throughout the city.

To improve the numbers this coming year, officials plan to start inviting third, fourth and fifth graders to spend at least one hour after school on Wednesdays and Thursdays to do test prep and start holding a Saturday academy in 2016, according to Chacon.

"We have a great chance of getting there, getting our test scores up there citywide and not just in District 7," she said. "That was our first milestone, and we hit that milestone. Now onto the next milestone, which is for citywide."

Although Department of Education spokesman Harry Hartfield said there was still work to do at District 7 schools, he defended the progress they had already made.

"Currently, in District 7, graduation rates have increased, math and ELA scores are up, attendance has gone up, and last year, students in District 7 saw more gains on their ELA exams compared to not only the rest of the City, but the entire state," he said in an email.

To see how your school did, check out our interactive map below: