As part of the "proof" that his ideas about education are working, Bloomberg often cites rising graduation rates. But according to new data from the state Department of Education (below), he's been omitting some data. Of the 64.5% of 2009's high school graduates, only 22.8% were reportedly "college- and career-ready" upon graduation, meaning they had scored at least an 80 on the math Regents and a 75 on the English Regents. And apparently, many students with college-ready scores on the Regents didn't earn diplomas.
The biggest discrepancies between the percentage of students earning passing Regents grades and those graduating are within the Hispanic community [pdf]. The report says, "For example, 73 percent of Hispanic students received passing scores on their required Regents exams, but only 60 percent graduated." And white students routinely meet Regents requirements more often than black or Hispanic students. Of the 60.4% of black students who graduated in the city in 2009, the state estimates that just 12.7% are "college-ready." And of the 79.2% of white students who graduated, 42.5% are "college-ready."
Jonathan Burman of the state Department of Education told us, "The Board of Regents is using extensive data and input from the field at statewide forums and through an on-line survey to inform the policy decisions they will make going forward on graduation requirements." Currently, state students need to score a 65 on four out of five Regents exams to graduate. Next year, they'll need to score a 65 on all five. Unfortunately, we already knew that some schools are giving out diplomas "like it's a lemonade stand."
