GothamSchools — daily independent reporting on NYC public schools

Confronted with heightened standards on the state exams, only half of all summer school students graduated to the next grade this year, city officials said today.

New York State education officials made the annual math and English exams more difficult to pass this year after realizing that, over the course of the last three years, the tests had become too easy. As a result, the number of students who failed the exams and had to attend summer school rose from 10,000 in 2009 to about 22,800 this year.

But even after weeks of summer school, the bar remained too high for many students to pass. Roughly 11,500 failed the exams again on the second try and are being held back. The other 11,300 passed the tests and have advanced to the next grade.

Last year, when students sat for the then less-difficult exams, about 80 percent were promoted onto the next grade at the end of summer school. (more…)