NEW YORK CITY
The schools slated for closure include Paul Robeson High School in Brooklyn, Norman Thomas High School in Manhattan, Christopher Columbus High School in the Bronx, and Beach Channel High School in Queens.
The city school board must still approve the closures next month. Together, the four schools have nearly 6,000 students.
Tuesday's announcement brings to 17 the total number of schools so far slated for phase out after this school year. The department proposed two sets of closures last week.
The proposed closures must be given public hearings and approved by the city school board. The Panel for Educational Policy has never rejected a DOE policy proposal.
The full list of schools and the city's reasoning behind their closure is listed below:
Truncation of Frederick Douglass Academy III's middle school grades (09X517)
While FDA III's high school has been successful, its middle school has failed to help students make progress.
Despite the fact that it has a selective admissions policy, FDA III's middle school underperforms other District 9 middle schools in both ELA and math:
52.1% of FDA III middle school students are proficient in ELA, compared to 52.2% of students district-wide.
68.4% of FDA III middle school students are proficient in math, compared to 71.6% of students district-wide.
ELA proficiency is lower in 2009 than it was two years ago in 2007 (52.1% compared to 53.6%).
In both of the last two years, FDA III's middle school received an "F" on the progress section of its Progress Report.
The school received a "B" on its 2006-2007 Progress Report, a "D" on its 2007-2008 Progress Report, and a "C" on its 2008-2009 Progress Report.
In its current configuration, FDA III is not fulfilling its purpose of offering students a seamless educational experience from sixth grade through high school graduation. Only half of FDA III's 8th graders choose to reenroll for 9th grade. These students compose only 30% of FDA III's 9th grade class. We propose phasing out the middle school grades to allow the principal and school staff to focus on - and build on the success of - the high school.
Phase-out of William H. Maxwell CTE High School (19K660)
Fewer than half of W.H Maxwell's students graduate.
In 2008, the graduation rate was 43.2%.
In 2009, the graduation rate was 43.4%.
Demand for the school is low and declining. In 2008-09, 920 students enrolled in Maxwell. This year, enrollment declined to 863 students.
Credit accumulation at Maxwell - a key predictor of graduation - is low. It increased during the 2008-09 school year, but not sufficiently to reverse the school's longstanding history of failure.
Average attendance at Maxwell last year was 72.1%.
The school received an "F" on its 2006-2007 Progress Report, a "D" on its 2007-2008 Progress Report, and a "D" on its 2008-2009 Progress Report, including an "F" on the "Performance" section.
Phase-out of Academy of Environmental Science (04M635)
The graduation rate at the Academy of Environmental Science has been consistently low:
In 2008, the graduation rate was 51.6%
In 2009, the graduation rate was 51.1%
Students at the Academy of Environmental Science fall behind early, and the school has not been able to get these students back on track:
Fewer than 65% of first-year students accumulate ten or more credits, a key predictor of graduation.
Though credit accumulation did increase slightly this year, it did not improve sufficiently to reverse a longstanding pattern of failure.
Demand for the school is low and declining. Student enrollment in 2008-09 was 551 students. This year enrollment dropped to 452 students.
The school received a "C" on the 2006-2007 Progress Report, a "C" on the 2007-2008 Progress Report, and a "D" on the 2008-2009 Progress Report.
Phase-out of KAPPA II (05M317)
The school has persistently failed to help students make progress. In 2008-09, a year when large gains were recorded at most schools citywide, KAPPA II made negative progress on annual State math exams.
Student performance remains well below the District 5 average:
Only 53.5% of students are proficient in math, compared with 72.0% district-wide.
Only 43.6% of students are proficient in ELA, compared with 59.1% district-wide.
Demand for the school is low. In 2008-09, 232 students were enrolled at Kappa II. This year, 142 students are enrolled, with only 25 6th graders.
The school's Progress Report grade has declined over each of the last three years, with a "B" in
2007, a "C" in 2008, and a "D" in 2009.
This year, the school earned an F on the "Environment" sub-section of the Progress Report, reflecting widespread dissatisfaction expressed by all constituents on the school's learning environment survey.
Phase-out of PS 332 (23K332):
The Department of Education is proposing the phase-out of PS 332 Charles H. Houston, an elementary and middle school in District 23 that currently serves students in grades K-8. Under this proposal, the school would stop accepting new kindergarten classes starting in September 2010.
The school has earned a C grade on its annual progress report for three consecutive years.
Student performance at PS 332 lags behind student performance district-wide:
In 2008-09, 51.8% of PS 332 students were proficient in ELA, compared with 58.9% of students district-wide.
In 2008-09, 61.2% of PS 332 students were proficient in math, compared with 85.9% of students district-wide.
Demand for the school is low.
Only 60% of the students attending the school are zoned to the school.
Phase-out of the Academy of Collaborative Education (05M344)
The Department of Education is proposing the phase-out of the Academy of Collaborative Education (ACE), a middle school in District 5 that currently serves students in grades 6-8. Under this proposal, the school would stop accepting new sixth grade classes starting in September 2010.
ACE earned a C on the 2007-2008 Progress Report and a D on the 2008-2009 Progress Report, including Fs in both the Environment and Student Progress sections.
There is widespread dissatisfaction with the school across all constituencies:
The school earned zero points out of fifteen on the Environment section of the 2008-09 Progress Report.
Only 44% of students feel that their teachers inspire them to learn, and only 27% of students feel safe at school.
Zero percent of teachers feel that order and discipline are maintained at the school.
Only half of the school's parents indicated that they were satisfied with their child's education.
Safety is a serious problem at the school:
The school was named to the State's list of "Persistently Dangerous" schools in August 2009, even though other schools in the same building do not experience the same level of safety incidents as ACE.
Student achievement at the school is consistently low:
In 2008-09, only 38.1% of ACE students were proficient in ELA.
In 2008-09, only 47.0% of ACE students were proficient in math, a more than 10 point decline from the 2007-08 in a year when most schools experienced significant gains on State math exams.
Phase-out of Jamaica High School (28Q470)
The Department of Education is proposing the phase-out of Jamaica High School, a Queens high school that currently serves students in grades 9-12. Under this proposal, the school would stop accepting new ninth grade classes starting in September 2010.
The graduation rate at Jamaica High School has stagnated below 50% for years:
In 2008, the graduation rate was 44.5%.
In 2009, the graduation rate increased slightly to 46.2%. This slight increase still leaves the school twenty points below the projected Queens average of 67%.
Jamaica received a C on its 2006-2007 Progress Report, a C on its 2007-2008 Progress Report, and a D on its 2008-2009 Progress Report, declining in all three sub-categories.
Students fall behind early in their education, and the school doesn't successfully get these students back on track.
Only 46.7% of first-year students accumulated ten or more credits in 2007-08.
In 2008-09, this figure declined, with only 44% of first-year students accumulating ten or more credits.
Demand for the school has increased slightly, but remains extremely low.
The school currently enrolls 1,527 students, and is significantly under-enrolled despite the presence of severely overcrowded high schools elsewhere in Queens.
Phase-out of School for Community Research and Learning (08X540):
The Department of Education is proposing the phase-out of the School for Community Research and Learning, a high school in the Bronx that currently serves students in grades 9-12. Under this proposal, the school would stop accepting new ninth grade classes starting in September 2010.
The school graduates fewer than half of its students:
In 2007-08, the graduation rate was 47.3%.
In 2008-09, the graduation rate was 43.9%.
The school received a C on its 2006-2007 Progress Report, a B on its 2007-2008 Progress Report, and the lowest possible C on its 2008-09 Progress Report — with a D in both the Progress and Performance sections.
Students fall behind early in their education and the school doesn't successfully get these students back on track:
In 2007-08, 48.9% of first-year students accumulated ten or more credits.
In 2008-09, 53.1% of first-year students accumulated ten or more credits.
Phase-out of Beach Channel High School (27Q410)
The Department of Education is proposing the phase-out of Beach Channel High School, a high school in Queens that currently serves students in grades 9-12. Under this proposal, the school would stop accepting new ninth grade classes starting in September 2010.
The graduation rate at Beach Channel has consistently remained below 50%:
In 2007-08, the graduation rate was 46.1%.
In 2008-09, the graduation rate was 46.9%.
Credit accumulation rates are also low:
In 2007-08, only 52.1% of first-year students accumulated 10 or more credits.
In 2008-09, that figure fell to 50.8%
Demand for the school is low and declining:
In 2008-09 1,522 students enrolled in the school.
In 2009-10 this number fell to 1,345.
Beach Channel received a C on the 2006-07 Progress Report, a C on the 2007-08 Progress Report, and a D on the 2008-09 Progress Report, including an F in the Progress and Environment sub-sections and a D in the Performance sub-section.
Parents, teachers, and students expressed widespread dissatisfaction with the school on the 2009 Learning Environment Survey:
Only 59% of students believe that their teachers inspire them to learn, and only 56% of students feel safe at school.
Only 56% of teachers believe that order and discipline are maintained at the school.
Only 68% of parents believe their child is safe at school.
Phase-out of Paul Robeson High School (17K625)
The Department of Education is proposing the phase-out of Paul Robeson High School, a high school in Brooklyn that currently serves students in grades 9-12. Under this proposal, the school would stop accepting new ninth grade classes starting in September 2010.
The graduation rate at Robeson High School is well below the citywide average and has declined while most other schools have made progress:
In 2007-08, the graduation rate was 56.7%.
In 2008-09, the graduation rate fell precipitously to 40.1%.
Credit accumulation rates are also low:
In 2008-09, only 58.4% of first-year students accumulated 10 or more credits.
Demand for the school has remained consistently low:
In 2008-09 1,049 students were enrolled in Robeson.
This year, Robeson enrolls 1,020 students.
Robeson received a C on its 2006-07, 2007-08, and 2008-09 Progress Reports. In 2008-09 it also received an F in the Environment sub-section and a D in the Performance subsection of the report.
Last year, average attendance at Robeson High School was 69.2%.
Parents and students expressed widespread dissatisfaction with the school on the 2009 Learning Environment Survey:
Only 64% of students feel that their teachers inspire them to learn, and only 64% of students feel safe at school.
Only 66% of parents feel their child is safe at school.
Phase-out of the Middle School for Academic and Social Excellence (17K334)
The Department of Education is proposing the phase-out of the Middle School for Academic and Social Excellence (MS 334), a middle school in District 17 that currently serves students in grades 6-8. Under this proposal, the school would stop accepting new sixth grade classes starting in September 2010.
The school has failed to help students make the progress they need. Math and ELA scores lag significantly behind district averages:
Only 39.7% of students are proficient in math, compared with 75% district-wide.
Only 30.0% of students are proficient in ELA, compared with 62.4% district-wide.
The school's performance is well below that of MS 354, a middle school located in the same building as MS 334 that serves a similar student population and shares MS 334's zone.
The 2008-09 Learning Environment Survey found dissatisfaction with the school among all constituents, and especially among students:
Only 76% of students say their teachers inspire them to learn, and only 61% of students feel safe at school.
Only 43% of teachers feel order and discipline are maintained at the school.
Only 75% of parents reported satisfaction with the education their children have received.
Phase-out of Metropolitan Corporate Academy (15K530)
The Department of Education is proposing the phase-out of the Metropolitan Corporate Academy, a high school in Brooklyn that currently serves students in grades 9-12. Under this proposal, the school would stop accepting new ninth grade classes starting in September 2010.
The graduation rate is low and declining:
The 2007-08 graduation rate was 48.0%.
In 2008-09 the graduation rate fell to 47.1%.
The percentage of students earning Regents Diplomas is very low:
In 2007-08, the Regents completion rate was 16.8%.
In 2008-09, the Regents completion rate was 25.3%.
The school earned a C on the 2006-07 and 2007-08 Progress Reports. The school's grade fell to a D on the 2008-09 Progress Report, including a D on the Performance sub-section.
The school earned an "underdeveloped" on its 2008-2009 Quality Review.
Truncation of the Choir Academy of Harlem's high school grades (05M469)
The Department of Education is proposing to truncate the high school grades of the Choir Academy of Harlem, a middle and high school in District 5 that currently serves students in grades 6-12. Under this proposal, the school would stop accepting new ninth grade classes starting in September 2010.
The school's graduation rate has declined below the citywide average:
In 2007-08, the graduation rate was 73%.
In 2008-09, the graduation rate fell to 57.5%.
First-year credit accumulation is also declining significantly:
In 2007-08, 79.3% of first-year students earned 10 or more credits.
In 2008-09, that figure declined to 61.5%.
Demand for the school is very low:
Choir Academy only has 40-50 students in each high school grade, a student population that is too small to constitute a viable high school.
The availability for seats in performing arts programs citywide exceeds the level of demand for such seats.
The Choir Academy middle school earned an A on its 2008-09 Progress Report, but fewer than 40% of eighth-graders continue on to the high school. Only 25% of Choir Academy ninth-graders attended the Choir Academy middle school. The school's current configuration is not fulfilling its primary purpose, which is to provide a seamless educational experience for students from grades six through twelve.
The Choir Academy's high school received a D on its 2006-07 Progress Report, a C on its 2007-08 Progress Report, and a D on its 2008-09 Progress Report.
Phase-out of Christopher Columbus High School (11X415)
The Department of Education is proposing the phase-out of the Christopher Columbus High School, a high school in the Bronx that currently serves students in grades 9-12. Under this proposal, the school would stop accepting new ninth grade classes starting in September 2010.
Columbus' graduation rate is low:
In 2007-08, the graduation rate was 36.9%.
In 2008-09, the graduation rate increased slightly to 40.3%, still 20 points below the citywide average of 60%.
First-year credit accumulation is also low:
In 2007-08, only 48% of first-year students accumulated 10 or more credits.
In 2008-09, that figure increased slightly to 49.4%.
Demand for the school is low:
Columbus is a zoned school, but only 11% of students zoned for the school attend it. Just 46% of the students attending Columbus are zoned for the school.
Columbus received a D on the 2008-09 Progress Report, down from a C in 2006-07 and 2007-08.
Phase-out of Norman Thomas High School (02M620):
The Department of Education is proposing the phase-out of Norman Thomas High School, a high school in Manhattan that currently serves students in grades 9-12. Under this proposal, the school would stop accepting new ninth grade classes starting in September 2010.
Fewer than half of Norman Thomas students graduate on schedule:
The 2007-08 graduation rate at Norman Thomas was 41.7%.
The 2008-09 graduation rate was 42.7%.
The school has persistently failed to help students progress toward graduation. In 2008-09, the school had 109 registered twelfth-grade students and 945 registered ninth graders – meaning that half of the total student body was in the ninth grade.
The 2009 Learning Environment Survey indicates low satisfaction with the school among all constituents, especially among students:
Only 57% of students feel that teachers inspire them to learn and only 64% of students feel safe at school.
Only 68% of teachers feel that order and discipline are maintained at the school.
Phase-out of New Day Academy (12X245)
The Department of Education is proposing the phase-out of the New Day Academy, a middle and high school in District 12 that currently serves students in grades 6-12. Under this proposal, the school would stop accepting new sixth and ninth grade classes starting in September 2010.
The New Day high school received a D on its first high school Progress Report in 2008-09, including Fs on both the Environment and Progress sub-sections. The graduation and credit accumulation indicators from the 2008-2009 year are low:
The 2008-09 graduation rate was 56%.
For two consecutive years, fewer than 55% of first-year students accumulated 10 or more credits - a key predictor of future academic success.
The New Day middle school received a C on its 2007-08 and 2008-09 Progress Reports, with low ELA and math proficiency rates:
In 2008-09, 40.8% of students were proficient in ELA and 34.3% were proficient in Math.
Demand for the school is low:
2008-09 enrollment is 461 students.
Only 30% of the New Day eighth grade students continue to ninth grade, where they represent about 30% of total ninth-grade enrollment.
Phase-out of the Global Enterprise High School (11X541)
The Department of Education is proposing the phase-out of the Global Enterprise High School, a high school in the Bronx that currently serves students in grades 9-12. Under this proposal, the school would stop accepting new ninth grade classes starting in September 2010.
The graduation rate at Global Enterprise High School is low and declining:
In 2007-08, the graduation rate was 52.7%.
In 2008-09, the graduation rate fell to 50.9%.
First-year credit accumulation is also low:
In 2007-08, only 55.8% of first-year students accumulated 10 or more credits.
In 2008-09, 63.6% of first-year students accumulated 10 or more credits.
Demand for the school is low:
Global Enterprise participated in the supplementary high school admissions round, indicating that the school did not get enough matches during the main high school admissions round to fill its ninth grade class.
The school received a C on the 2007-08 and 2008-09 Progress Reports, down from a B in 2006-07.
Phase-out of Alfred E. Smith CTE High School (07X600)
The Department of Education is proposing the phase-out of the Alfred E. Smith High School, a Career and Technical Education high school in the Bronx that currently serves students in grades 9-12. Under this proposal, the school would stop accepting new ninth grade classes starting in September 2010.
The graduation rate has consistently remained below 50%:
In 2007-08, the graduation rate was 37.5%.
In 2008-09, the graduation rate was 45.7%.
Credit accumulation rates are also low. In 2008-09, only 57% of first-year students accumulated 10 or more credits, up slightly from 55% the preceding year.
Average attendance at the school last year was 77.2%.
Demand for the school is very low:
The 2008-09 enrollment was 1,131 students.
This year, the enrollment is 1,103 students.
Smith has received a C on its Progress Report for three consecutive years.
The school earned a D on the Environment sub-section of the 2008-09 Progress Report.
Phase-out of the School of Business, Computer Applications and Entrepreneurship (29Q496)
The Department of Education is proposing the phase-out of the Business, Computer Applications and Entrepreneurship High School, a Queens high school that currently serves students in grades 9-12. Under this proposal, the school would stop accepting new ninth grade classes starting in September 2010.
Graduation rates are low and declining:
The 2007-08 graduation rate was 62%.
In 2008-09, the graduation rate declined to 57%. The average graduation rate in Queens is 67%.
Credit accumulation rates are also very low:
In 2007-08, only 41% of students earned ten or more credits.
In 2008-09, 51% of students earned ten or more credits.
The school's Progress Report grade has declined every year. It earned a B in 2006-07, a C in 2007-08, and a D in 2008-09, including an F grade on the Progress sub-section and a D on the Environment sub-section in 2008-09.
Significant dissatisfaction was indicated by the school's constituents on the 2009 Learning Environment Survey:
Only 58% of students feel that their teachers inspire them to learn, and only 51% of students feel safe at school.
Only 60% of parents feel their child is safe at school.
Only 52% of teachers feel order and discipline are maintained at the school.
Phase-out of the Monroe Academy for Business/Law (12X690)
The Department of Education is proposing the phase-out of the Monroe Academy for Business/Law, Bronx high school that currently serves students in grades 9-12. Under this proposal, the school would stop accepting new ninth grade classes starting in September 2010.
The school's graduation rate is low:
In 2007-08 the graduation rate was 48.4%.
In 2008-09 the graduation rate was 52.1%.
Credit accumulation rates are also low:
In 2008-09, only 46% of first-year students earned ten or more credits, a key predictor of future academic success. Only 33.5% of second-year students earned ten or more credits.
The large number of students repeating grades is causing enrollment to increase beyond the school's intended capacity.
Monroe earned a C on the 2006-07 Progress Report, a C on the 2007-08 Progress Report, and a D on the 2008-09 Progress report - including D grades on both the Environment and Student Progress sub-sections.
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