In New York City, 57.6 percent of students performed at or above grade level in reading, up from 50.7 percent in 2006, and 74.3 percent did so in math, up from 57 percent two years ago.
Even more impressive, 59.6 percent of New York City eighth graders met the standards. Just 29.8 percent met them last year, according to the office of Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
"Our students have made great progress in math and reading, building on the gains of recent years," Bloomberg said. "Today, they are performing almost on the level of suburban districts, and we're making continued progress closing the shameful achievement gap.
"We've changed the situation on the ground, creating the conditions necessary to transform our schools and classrooms and results for kids," said city schools Chancellor Joel Klein. "We've set high standards, created strong academic interventions for struggling students, held schools responsible for results, and given educators the tools they need to assess how well they're doing and how well students are progressing."
Statewide, fewer students showed serious academic problems. Black and Hispanic students also continued to narrow an achievement gap with white students predominantly in suburban districts. Students with disabilities also continue to show gains, although at a low level.
The results also show large groups of students continue to perform under the state standards created a decade ago to boost academic achievement.
"Closing the achievement gap is our constant target," said state schools Chancellor Robert Bennett. "We cannot rest until achievement is up everywhere and the gap is closed for all children in New York state."
Statewide, 53 percent of black students met or exceeded the state standard in English, up from 45 percent last year. Hispanic students showed almost the same gain.
The latest report shows that 81 percent of students in grades 3 through 8 met or exceeded the standard in math. That's compared to 73 percent last year.
And 69 percent of students met or exceeded the English standard in those grades, up from 63 percent last year.
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ON THE NET:
New York City Department of Education http://schools.nyc.gov/daa/
WEBCAST: Grades 3-8 English and Math Assessments News Conference http://www.forms2.nysed.gov/videos/home.cfm
PDF: NYSED Test Results http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/feature?section=news&id=6222768
New York State Education Department http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/
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WEB PRODUCED BY: Bob Monek
