New York City leadership has expressed enthusiasm about recent improvements in reading and math scores among public school students in grades K-5, particularly among diverse racial and ethnic groups.
Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Public Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos highlighted these results in a joint statement as the school year comes to a close.
The city’s Department of Education (DOE) released preliminary data from screener results and assessments taken in the Spring of the 2024-2025 school year, revealing an average increase of 2.5 points in reading scores and an increase of 3.2 points in math scores for K-5 students.
These positive outcomes reflect comparisons to results from previous years as well as to the national median percentages of student performance.
In examining the results along racial and ethnic lines, there were overall small improvements across all groups.
For reading, Asian students recorded an average increase of 1.6 points, while Black, Hispanic, and white students each saw their scores rise by an average of 2.6 points.
In math, Asian students increased their scores by an average of 2.3 points, Black students by 3.1 points, Hispanic students by 3.4 points, and white students by 3.5 points.
Historically, New York City’s public school system has faced challenges related to racial disparities in achievement, particularly affecting Black and Brown students.
Research conducted in 2022 indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated learning gaps, leading to significant declines in reading and math scores among students nationwide, with many fourth and eighth graders struggling to grasp basic concepts.
“Any gain for New York City is a great thing,” stated Councilmember Rita Joseph, who chairs the City Council education committee.
She emphasized the need to analyze the data closely to identify areas of growth and districts that exhibited significant gains while also maintaining focus on where students fell short.
The early successes have been attributed to the NYC Reads literacy initiative and NYC Solves mathematics curriculum, both launched by Mayor Adams and former Schools Chancellor David Banks in 2023.
These programs aimed to enhance literacy and math education, particularly in reading and basic algebra instruction.
While many educators showed optimism about the initiatives, they were also somewhat uncertain about their implementation.
The programs initially targeted 15 ‘phase one’ school districts, followed by 17 districts in ‘phase two.’
This year, Adams announced plans to expand both initiatives to an additional 186 schools across 14 districts for the 2025-2026 school year, drawing from the promising early performance data.
“When you go to school as an educator, no one teaches you the science of reading,” Joseph noted, stressing the importance of understanding how children learn to read.
A wave of excitement among educators and advocates followed the release of the preliminary data, showcasing the potential benefits of a unified effort within the educational community.
Marielys Divanne, executive director of Educators for Excellence–New York (E4E-NY), remarked that the NYC Reads screener data demonstrates significant progress by students, made possible through collaboration among NYCPS leadership, the United Federation of Teachers, educators, parents, and the broader community.
Divanne described the ongoing embrace of high-quality materials and professional training through NYC Reads, noting that the results are evident.
She pointed out that experiencing such gains early on is groundbreaking for the largest and most complex school system in the country, highlighting unprecedented improvements for young learners as well as students with disabilities.
Research typically reveals that it takes between three to five years to witness academic results from changes in curriculum, with the NYC Reads and Solves programs rooted in high-quality instructional materials and aligned professional development.
Additionally, E4E-NY conducted a year-long survey of educators regarding their impressions of NYC Reads and NYC Solves.
The feedback consistently showed that educators had a positive view of the curricular materials and believed that the curriculum would improve over time.
Crystal McQueen-Taylor, executive director at StudentsFirstNY, added that it is not surprising to witness gains when schools employ research-backed programs like NYC Reads and Solves.
She noted that parents throughout the city have long demanded better educational quality for their children and, with these early positive results, there is optimism for ongoing improvement.
Given the ongoing disparities faced by Black students, there is hope that the incoming administration will continue to support and expand such impactful programs.
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