Your independent guide to NYC public schools

Do you have any ideas about the most effective ways to identify and teach children who speak limited or no English? If so, the New York State Education Department would like to hear from you as it revises state regulations which define how schools offer services and English language instruction to children. The goal is to improve instruction and educational outcomes for new immigrants and other children with limited English proficiency.

From now until July 30, parents, teachers and school administrators are invited to take an online survey. Topics include: how English Language Learners (known as ELLs) are identified, or misidentified; how students exit the ELL program; parent involvement and choice in the type of program their child attends,  high school graduation requirements and others.

Click here to take the survey. It will take about a half-hour to complete.

Anyone who regularly reads Department of Education documents knows better than to expect fine literature. Many DOE memos and letters are so full of the bureaucratic nonsense known as “eduspeak” that they make an IRS 1040 form look like “Huckleberry Finn.” But a letter recently sent home with my 1st-grader set a new low.

The title, “Newly Identified District in Need of Improvement Year 10,” is parents’ first clue they’re in for trouble. Only the DOE could have a school district in need of improvement for 10 years and describe it as “Newly Identified.” But it gets worse.

I give you the second paragraph, as written, with boldface letters as shown in the original:

"During the 2010-11 school year, English Language Arts was designated as a District in Need of Improvement Year 9 (DINI-9) in English Language Arts. Because the District failed to make AYP at the elementary, middle and high school level in English Language Arts in 2010-11, the District has been designated as a District in Need of Improvement Year 10 (DINI-10) in English Language Arts for the 2011-12 school year."

Insideschools aims to provide up-to-date data on New York City public schools. We rely on official statistics and information from the New York City Department of Education (DOE) and the New York State Education Department (NYSED), which monitor most public schools. Charter school data not included in city statistics was provided by The Charter School Center.

Below is a list of our "go-to" data sources, along with the key information each dataset provides. These sources were also used to create Insidestats, a new feature of Insideschools, which seeks to provide useful statistics on New York City’s high schools. See Insidestats section below to get specific information on how we collect and analyze the numbers for Insidestats.

About our data: General information

School name, Address, Telephone Number, Principal name – From the DOE Office of Organizational Data LCGMS Database (updated continually)

Attendance and Data on K-12 Tests, Graduation and College Readiness – From the DOE Progress Report Database (2011-12)

Survey Information from Students, Teachers and Parents – From the DOE Learning Environment Survey (2011-12)

Student Demographics and Enrollment (including free and reduced lunch, percent of English language learners, percent of students receiving special education services, ethnicity) – From the DOE School Demographics and Accountability Snapshot

ELA and Math Achievement Test Scores Grades 3-8 – From the DOE Achievement Test Database (2011-12)

Attendance and Enrollment for New Schools – From the DOE Period Attendance Reporting Database (updated continually)

Average Class Sizes (updated twice a year; if link is broken try searching "DOE class size report") – From DOE Class Size Report Database (2011-12)

Elementary School Special Programs (gifted and talented, dual language, and magnet programs ) – From the DOE Elementary School Directory (2013-14)

Elementary and Middle School Zone Maps - From NYC Open Data School Files School Zones (2011-12)

School Overcrowding and Utilization – From the School Construction Authority Enrollment, Capacity & Utilization Report (2011-12)

Data Notes: Transfer high school average graduation rates for 2011 were calculated in house - because transfer schools graduate students on a different timetable than other high schools, we calculated a weighted 6-year graduation rate of 51% using total enrollment as the weight. All other data was provided by the Department of Education by special request.

About our data: Insidestats

Insidestats is a new tool on Insideschools giving families one easy place to review and compare high school quality and outcomes. The numbers on Insidestats were collected from datasets published annually by the New York City Department of Education (DOE) and the New York State Education Department (NYSED). Some numbers were provided by special request.

See the list below for the sources and dates of each piece of information on Insidestats. We have also provided links to the original datasets, if available, for those who wish to delve deeper into the numbers.

A note about citywide averages and the color of our apples on Insidestats

Insidestats uses color-coded apples to show how well a school is doing compared to other New York City high schools. Schools that are better than the citywide average on a given indicator get a green apple. Schools that are worse than the citywide average get a red apple. Those that are around the citywide average get a neutral blue apple.

We used a common statistical calculation to determine whether a given school is below average, near the average, or better than average on each data point. This calculation is called a "standard deviation." It allows us to easily see if a number is near the citywide average or substantially better or worse than the citywide average. We used the following curve to assign the apple colors. For each measure, one-third of schools are above average, one-third are below and one-third are in the middle. (The blue section is taller because many more schools tend to be near the average. The blue section is one-half of a standard deviation from the average in each direction.)

Figure 1: A statistical illustration of how our apples were color-coded:

In some cases, the citywide average was provided by the DOE or NYSED. When the citywide average was not available, we calculated our own citywide averages using the data we had collected. It is important to note that the averages we calculated include only general education high schools and secondary schools in Districts 1-32. We do not include data from charter schools, transfer schools or schools that primarily serve students with special needs (though we do hope to include these schools in the future). Averages have been calculated as “weighted averages,” meaning that we adjusted the averages to account for schools that are much larger or smaller than other schools.

The following table lists each measure on Insidestats, its source, and how the average was calculated. We have included links to the original dataset when it is available. If you have any questions about the numbers, datasets or our calculations, please email Kim Nauer at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Also let us know if you see errors or miscalculations in your school's numbers. We will correct any problems as soon as possible.

Insidestats: Sources and links

Click the linked text in blue to explore the original dataset, when available. In addition, much of this information is available on your school’s DOE website. Click “View More DOE Statistics and Info” on the bottom of each page on Insidestats to see more.

AT A GLANCE

Shared Campus - From the DOE Office of Organizational Data (2011-12)

Students Enrolled - From the DOE School Demographics and Accountability Snapshot (2011-12)

Average Daily Attendance Rate - From the DOE High School Progress Report Database (2011-12)

Uniform Policy - From the DOE High School Directory (2011-2012)

Metal Detectors - Site surveys from Insideschools and New York Civil Liberties Union (ongoing)

Student Demographics - DOE School Demographics and Accountability Snapshot (2011-12)

Free Lunch and ELL Students - DOE School Demographics and Accountability Snapshot (2011-12)

8th Grade Math/ELA Test Scores of High School’s Students - DOE High School Progress Report Database (2011-12)

Citywide Average: Calculated by taking the average of schools in the Insidestats database.

Middle School Test Scores on ELA and Math exams (for high schools that include grades 6-8) - DOE ELA and Math Data Files by Grade (2006-2012)

Citywide Average: Calculated by taking the sum of students scoring 3 or 4 over the sum of students taking the exam.

SAFETY AND VIBE

Number of Students in an Average English Class - From the DOE Class Size Database (2011-2012)

Citywide Average: Calculated by taking an average of schools in the Insidestats database.

Student and Teacher Survey Questions - DOE Learning Environment Survey Database (2011-2012)

Note: Percentages were calculated by combining the percentage of students or teachers in the survey that answered "strongly agree" or "somewhat agree."

Citywide Average: Calculated by taking an average of schools in the Insidestats database.

Percent of Chronically Absent Students – Student attendance data provided by the DOE (2011-12)

Note: Percentage calculated from the number of students missing more than 20 or more days of school year.

Citywide Average: Calculated the number of chronically absent students in each school and added up the number citywide dividing by the total number of students in those schools.

WHO GRADUATES

Class of 2012 Four-Year Graduation Rate - DOE High School Progress Report Database (2011-12)

Class of 2012 Six-Year Graduation Rate - DOE High School Progress Report Database (2011-12)

Note: The Progress Report provides preliminary graduation rate numbers. These numbers may change when the official graduation rate numbers are released in mid-2013.

Class of 2011 Four-Year Graduation Rate - NYSED Graduation Rate Database (June 2012)

Class of 2011 Six-Year Graduation Rate - NYSED Graduation Rate Database (June 2012)

Class of 2011 Advanced Regents Diploma Rate - NYSED Graduation Rate Database (June 2012)

Class of 2011 High School Dropout Rate - NYSED Graduation Rate Database (June 2012)

Citywide Averages Class of 2011: Provided in the NYSED School Level Graduation Database (2010-11)

COLLEGE PREP

School College Prep Course Offerings and Outcomes

DOE High School Progress Report Database (2011-12). Dataset includes:

Students taking at least one advanced placement class getting a 3 or better

Students taking at least one college course getting a C or better

Students passing a Regents exam for Algebra 2, MathB, Physics or Chemistry

Students entering CUNY without needing remedial help

Students graduating on time and entering college within 18 months

Citywide Average: DOE High School Progress Report Database (2011-12) when available

SAT Reading and Math Scores - DOE SAT Database (2011-12)

Citywide and Nationwide Average: DOE SAT Summary Report (2011-12)

Student Survey on Quality of College and Career Counseling

DOE Learning Environment Survey Database (2011-2012)

Note: Percentages were calculated by combining the percentage of students or teachers in the survey that answered "strongly agree" or "somewhat agree."

Citywide Average: Calculated by taking an average of schools in the Insidestats database.

SPECIAL ED AND ELL

Class of 2011 Special Ed Four-Year Graduation Rate - NYSED Graduation Rate Database (June 2012)

Class of 2011 Special Ed Six-Year Graduation Rate - NYSED Graduation Rate Database (June 2012)

Class of 2011 ELL Four-Year Graduation Rate - NYSED Graduation Rate Database (June 2012)

Class of 2011 ELL Six-Year Graduation Rate - NYSED Graduation Rate Database (June 2012)

Citywide Averages Class of 2011: Provided in the NYSED Graduation Database (June 2012)

Team Teaching/Self-Contained Classes - School Demographics and Accountability Snapshot (2011-12)

Citywide Average: Calculated by taking the average of schools in the Insidestats database

Students Spending Day with Non-Disabled Peers - Special Education Service Delivery Report (2011-2012)

Note: While there is no public database for this report, it is available on each school’s website.

Citywide Average: Calculated by taking the average of schools in the Insidestats database

Dear Judy,

How does the DOE decide to start a dual language program? Are they proposed by interested parents?

ELL Mom.

Dear ELL Mom,

Parents do have a big role in establishing dual language programs: the Department of Education is obligated to start one if at least 12 parents of English language learners who speak the same home language request one.

Parents attending parent-teacher conferences this week may be hearing talk about the “Common Core” and wondering just what it is. At a Department of Education presentation in October, David Coleman, founder of the Grow Network and one of the authors of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), declared, “If you do this work [aligned with Common Core standards] then you’re ready for college.”

In short, the CCSS is not a curriculum but a set of standards defining the knowledge and skills that students from pre-kindergarten to 12^th grade need to master each year to be prepared for the next grade, and ultimately college or work. Creating common academic standards across the country was a state-led initiative, involving a coalition of governors and educators. The actual standards were developed by teachers, administrators, experts and parents.

Modeled after successful programs in the U.S. and abroad the Common Core standards are meant to provide teachers and parents with a shared understanding of what students are expected to learn. One aim is ensure that kids who move across city or even state lines end up in schools with the same information being taught.

At PS 24 in Sunset Park, 90 percent of the students are Latino and many are still learning to speak English. But, instead of giving them English-only instruction PS 24 offers a dual language program, with kindergartners getting 90% of their instruction in Spanish.

In 1st to 5th grade, students study half a day in English and half a day in Spanish but the early immersion in Spanish helps solidify reading and writing in two languages, offering longterm benefits for bilingual children, according to Principal Christina Fuentes.

Ramaa Reddy Raghavan, a reporting fellow at Feet in Two Worlds, writes that the"city’s dual language schools have a tough time competing with other schools in terms of academic performance." Because of that, some schools may be reluctant to start a program, despite the benefits for children becoming profiicent in two languages.  PS 24 got a "B" on last year's Progress Report -- an "A" for environment but a "D" for student performance on state tests.

Read A Dual Language School in Brooklyn Struggles to Meet DOE expectations But Succeeds in Child Development Areas on Feet in Two Worlds, a project of the Center for New York City Affairs.

Chancellor Dennis Walcott and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr will join education historian Diane Ravitch, Pedro Noguera and other education policy heavy-hitters at the first-ever Bronx Education Summit, Saturday, Oct. 15 at Lehman College.

Dr. Ravitch will deliver the keynote speech, "Improving Education for the Children of the Bronx," in the morning, followed by break-out sessions for parents and teachers on topics including early childhood, special education and English language learning. Our own education experts Jacqueline Wayans, Insideschools assignment editor, and Kim Nauer, education project director at our parent organization the Center for New York City Affairs, will participate in a panel discussion about parent involvement from 10:45 to 11:45 a.m. In the afternoon, a panel of local education policy experts will discuss education in the Bronx, "from cradle to career."

A full schedule is available on the Bronx Borough President's website, though unfortunately, at this time, it appears that registration is closed. For those looking for advice from Jacqueline Wayans, it's not too late to register for her Oct. 25 workshop at City College, "Choosing the Right School for Your Child."

Half a dozen middle schools are experimenting with an unusual approach to teaching new immigrants English: Children write stories about their own lives and read them out loud in front of an audience. The exercises builds confidence and, in some cases, serves as a catharsis for children dealing with trauma, as an article by Peter McDermott in Feet in Two Worlds shows.

One boy described what it was like to walk across the border from Mexico. He shook as he told the story, but was greeted with thunderous applause when he finished. A girl described the sorrow of losing her mother. A girl wrote a poem about a troubled man in Pakistan.

The program is part of a federally-funded Story Studio for the Urban Arts Project. Some 365 students took part in the 2010-2011 school year at MS 131 in Manhattan; IS 62, IS 281 and IS 223 in Brooklyn; and IS 145 in Queens, and the program will continue this year.

Parents who want New York’s schools to help their children become bilingual can learn details about the city’s dual language programs on Saturday, Jan. 22, at a kindergarten information fair on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.

The 60-minute documentary Speaking in Tongues, about four students who become fluent in two languages while attending public schools, will be shown Saturday from 1 to 2 p.m. during the District 3 Elementary School Fair. A 30-minute panel discussion titled “Why Dual Language?” will follow the film.

Saturday’s fair and dual language information session are designed for parents of children who will attend kindergarten in District 3, however the information about dual language programs is applicable citywide. The fair is at PS 165, located at 234 West 109th Street, between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue and runs from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The most common dual language programs offer instruction in Spanish and English, but some schools  offer programs in French, Chinese, Korean, Haitian Creole, and Russian. A list of schools with dual-language classes is available from the Department of Education website.

Most dual language courses offer full-immersion instruction, with instructors speaking English half the day and a foreign language the other half. Dual language classes typically feature a mix of kids who are native English speakers alongside kids who speak a foreign language at home.

Application to a dual language program for native English-speakers is made once your child is registered and admitted at a New York school that offers a dual language class. Space in dual language classes is sometimes limited, and spots cannot always be guaranteed during the registration period. Preference may be given to parents who can prove their child will be encouraged to speak both languages at home as well as in school. Students who are still learning to speak English, or who are native speakers of another language, have the option of enrolling in dual language, English as a Second Language, or bilingual programs.

Without the option of a local diploma many students won't graduate at all, according to a report released today by Advocates for Children (AFC).  More than a Statistic: Faces of the Local Diploma, chronicles nine high school graduates' pathways to college and careers taken after earning a local diploma. A local diploma has less stringent requirements than a Regents diploma and is being phased out for both general and special education students.

In 2009, roughly 15 percent of statewide graduates earned a local diploma.  A disproportionate number of them were Black and Latino students, English language learners, and students with special needs.

"The paper calls on officials to remember the needs of this group of students and develop alternative pathways to earn a regular high school diploma in the State," said AFC Director, Kim Sweet.  “No matter what you think of the local diploma, it does in fact have value as a credential that makes opportunities available to the students who receive it, ” Sweet stated in a press release.

Under the state's  new requirement, general education students entering ninth grade in 2008  or later, and special education students entering 9th grade in 2011 or later, will have to meet the standards of a Regents diploma to graduate.

“Ultimately, we would like to see all students have a pathway to a Regents diploma,” said Sweet. “but merely removing the option of the local diploma is not enough to move all students to the point of meeting the more demanding Regents diploma requirements."

Read AFC's press release here and the full report here.