Three Morningside Heights schools dropped from Bs to Cs on city progress reports this year, though some parents said the schools deserved higher marks.
Although three public schools in the Morningside Heights area scored As, another three schools—P.S. 36 Margaret Douglas, at Amsterdam Avenue and Morningside Drive; P.S. 125 Ralph Bunche, at 123rd Street and Amsterdam; and P.S. 145, at 105th Street and Amsterdam—dropped from B grades to C grades, according to progress reports released by the city last week.
The three schools scoring Cs overall received particularly low marks in student performance, with on average one-third of students at proficiency level in English and just fewer than half at proficiency level in math. Only 23.9 percent of students at P.S. 125 met the English proficiency standard.
But on Tuesday morning at P.S. 36—one of the schools that received a C—parents expressed support for the school’s teachers and resources.
“I’ve never had a bad thing to say about it,” Yohana Perata, mother of a P.S. 36 third-grader, said.
Rosanna Morel said she wasn’t looking forward to her son leaving when he graduates at the end of this year. “Everything [is] good ... the teachers, the staff, the principal—it’s just wonderful.”
A school’s performance on state test scores and the city’s assessment of student progress, student performance, and school environment contribute to the annual letter grade. Demographic factors, such as students learning English in regular classroom settings and black and Hispanic students improving on test scores, can influence the grade as well.
Unlike in previous years, the Department of Education fixed the distribution of grades, requiring 3 percent of the schools to receive Fs, 7 percent Ds, 30 percent Cs, 35 percent Bs, and 25 percent As. That fixed distribution resulted in a higher number of Ds and Fs, which may have contributed to lower grades for area schools.
Still, some local schools earned high grades. Mott Hall II, on 109th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam, and KIPP Infinity Charter School, at 133rd Street and Broadway, maintained the A grades they received last year. P.S. 180 Hugo Newman, at 120th Street and Morningside Avenue, moved up from a C to a B.
With a new principal who parents said is strengthening the curriculum, P.S. 165 Robert E. Simon, on 109th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam, improved its B grade last year with an A this year. In the report, P.S. 165 stood out for its improved English and math test scores and for having a positive academic environment.
On Wednesday morning, parents at P.S. 165 spoke enthusiastically about recent changes at the school that have benefitted their children.
Delilah Martinez, 32, spoke highly of new principal Brett Gallini. “They’ve changed principals … till they got it right,” she said, noting that since Gallini took the helm, “the school has improved—there’s a real neighborhood feeling.”
The addition of after-school programs in architecture, music, and theater have also been a plus, in addition to a regular curriculum night—a meet-the-faculty evening for parents showcasing the many academic offerings at the school.
Hassania Ouachtouki, a mother at P.S. 165, said she was pleased with how the school has reached out to parents.
“I go to class and see how the teacher helps the kids. Every Friday I sit here for one hour,” she said. “I love this school.”
COMMENTS
Comments will be moderated in accordance with our comment policy