January 29, 2025
Educators for Excellence–New York’s Statement on New York City’s National Assessment of Educational Progress Results
Marielys Divanne, Executive Director of Educators for Excellence–New York (E4E-NY), issued the following statement regarding the latest National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results:
“Today’s NAEP results underscore a stark reality: deep and persistent achievement gaps continue to plague our school system. In fourth-grade math, for example, just 16% of Black and Hispanic students in New York City scored proficient, compared to 53% of white students and 58% of Asian American students. We hoped to see post-pandemic improvement—but the reality is that it hasn’t happened. We cannot afford to be passive in the face of these disparities. Action is required to ensure every student has access to the instruction and support they need to succeed.
New York City, encouragingly, has taken some steps forward with the launch of NYC Reads and NYC Solves, replacing a fragmented curricular approach with a coherent, evidence-based approach. While it’s too soon to measure their impact on NAEP scores—since these initiatives were not fully implemented at the time of testing—research consistently shows that high-quality instruction and professional learning can drive student success and close achievement gaps. Our recent survey of educators implementing NYC Reads, Reading Between the Lines, found that educators using their materials longer feel more confident in instruction, reinforcing the need to double down on these curricular shifts by providing support, training, and stability as we seek to drive improvements moving forward.
But more must be done. E4E-NY educators have launched a petition calling for stronger professional learning to meet the needs of diverse learners – a need that today’s NAEP scores confirm. We urge city leadership to prioritize these supports immediately.
Furthermore, instructional improvements alone won’t close these gaps. Students must have their social, emotional, and mental health needs met to make meaningful academic progress. And at the core of student success is the teaching profession itself—which must be reimagined to ensure it is both sustainable and effective in the long run. We will continue to work with city leadership to ensure this vision becomes a reality for educators and students.”
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Educators for Excellence–New York’s Statement on New York City’s National Assessment of Educational Progress Results