Stuyvesant received an A under a new Department of Education (DOE) rating system for public schools. Stuyvesant was ranked in the 89 percentile among city schools according to the grades published Monday, November 5.
The DOE-conducted New York City Progress Report “measures student year-to-year progress, compares each school to peer schools, and rewards success in moving all children forward, especially children with the greatest needs,” according to the DOE Web site.
Schools that receive high grades “are eligible for rewards,” according to the report, which includes possible bonuses for principals and, if the school continues to progress, for teachers too. Schools that receive low and failing grades “face consequences,” and in some cases, the termination of the school.
Principal Stanley Teitel had no comment.
The grading system compares schools to not only schools on a similar academic level, but also all New York City schools. Fifty-five percent of the grade is based on student progress, with a focus on standardized tests. Thirty percent is based on student annual performance. The remaining 15 percent is based on the school environment, including safety, academic expectations, student engagement and communication.
The DOE has released a series of school reports over the last few years as part of Chancellor Joel Klein and Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s efforts to reform the school system. According to Klein, the grades gauge school proficiency as well as individual student progress over the years.
The Learning Environment Survey, based on polls of students, parents and teachers, was released earlier this year and gave Stuyvesant a below average score in two of the four categories.
In the Quality Review Report, published by a British education consultant firm last year, Stuyvesant received a “proficient,” the average grade between “undeveloped,” and “well developed.”
All three school reports are available on the DOE Web site.
Some members of the Stuyvesant community found problems with the Progress Report’s grading system.
Parents’ Association Co-President Paola de Kock said the system is “just number crunching.” De Kock said, “The grade just reflects improvement year by year. This is a problem for a school like Stuyvesant because we always do well. We got an A this year, but will we improve next year?”
De Kock said the grades in some cases misrepresent the schools.
“Many schools in Staten Island are upset with their failing scores because they know that they are a good school. That might be our situation next year,” de Kock said.
While Bronx High School of Science received an A, the other original specialized high school, Brooklyn Technological High School, received a B.
Fifty schools, or five percent of the city public school system, received a failing F grade.
De Kock also questioned the importance of the grade. “It sounds nice, but what does it mean. Would I have wanted to transfer my student out of Stuy if we didn’t get an A? No,” she said.
“It matters only to the Chancellor,” librarian Chris Asch said. “It’s a flawed process.”
Physics teacher Dr. Jamal Ali said the A grade was deserved. “Teachers give you background, but the students are the ones who are really working hard,” he said.
“Stuy is a great school,” said junior Aidan Daly. “It’s about time we started to get recognized by the DOE.”
Sophomore Emily Martin compared the rating with school grades. “It makes me proud,” she said. “When you’re a parent, you want your kids to get A’s so you can brag.”
Junior Amanda Pinzon said, “I don’t think it’s a big surprise that we got an A. Stuy always does well in academic areas.”
