New Test Score Data Shows Bright Spots, but Ongoing Work is Necessary for Longer-Term Success

New York, NY – August 22, 2024 – Educators for Excellence New York (E4E-NY) voiced optimism today over early indicators from the newly released New York State test score data for the 2023-24 school year, highlighting the importance of long-term investment in the NYC Reads initiative. The data showed encouraging K-2 literacy proficiency improvements, with reading scores in grades K-2 increasing by 1.8 points. While there was a 2.6 point decrease in proficiency in ELA for grades 3-8, this trend was largely expected as half of the city’s elementary schools moved to a new curriculum and professional learning. States that have undertaken new literacy initiatives have experienced initial challenges before seeing significant long-term improvements.

“Given that there are often challenges that come with transitioning to a new curricular approach, it’s encouraging to see positive results in K-2 ELA, strong adoption rates of the NYC Reads curriculum, and other encouraging signs for the future of the initiative,” said Marielys Divanne, Executive Director of E4E-NY. “There’s still significant work that lies ahead, as the decrease in 3-8 ELA scores demonstrates, but we need to keep at it because the results will come with time and effective implementation. Effective implementation can only happen if we continue to listen to and support teachers, the ones who are actually implementing this change.”

While 81 percent of NYC Reads Phase 1 principals have reported satisfaction with the new curriculum, E4E-NY also expressed the importance of continuing to engage educators and school leaders in implementing these initiatives.

“While we’ve seen some encouraging signs, sustained progress will require ongoing support and collaboration with our city’s educators,” added Divanne. “We hope city leadership builds on this data by learning from teachers and school leadership to identify what they need, what they’re experiencing, and what they hope to build upon and improve.”

E4E-NY remains committed to elevating the voices of educators throughout the transition to high-quality reading and math instruction and will continue to advocate for student-centered policies and practices that prioritize the needs of all New York City students.

“We need to make sure we give grace to the educators that are working hard to implement the new curriculum – this will require time, patience, and constant learning,” said Kate Gutwillig, a NYC elementary school teacher. “The next several years are an opportunity for city leadership to strengthen the professional learning, provide feedback loops, and empower educators to connect with one another to problem solve. This shift to evidenced-based instruction can work, as it has in other places, but only if educators are properly supported throughout every step of the process.”