Have Racial / Ethnic Achievement Gaps Closed in New York City?
To track achievement gap trends, we analyzed fourth- and eighth-grade test score data from New York State ELA and mathematics tests from 2003 to 2008. We focus on these grade levels because only the fourth- and eighth-grade state tests were consistently administered over this entire time period; until state tests were introduced in 2006, a different set of city tests were administered to New York City students in grades 3, 5, 6, and 7. Moreover, we focus on the years 2003 through 2008 because the “Children First” reforms were announced in January 2003, just as students were taking their state tests that year, and were not introduced into the city’s classrooms until September 2003; 2003 thus provides an appropriate baseline for measuring progress in closing the achievement gap under mayoral control. The data are reported as citywide group average scale scores by grade for Asian, Black, Hispanic and White ethnic groups, along with the citywide average scale scores and standard deviations
