New York City students’ scores on state reading tests dropped 6 percentage points this year, underscoring the challenge facing education leaders as they implement a major overhaul in literacy instruction.
The tests aim to measure the reading proficiency of public school students in the third through eighth grades. Only half of students scored proficient in reading on the tests.
The most recent reading scores are a departure from last year’s spike of 7 percentage points, which officials touted as a sign that the reforms were succeeding.
In a press release, officials said they would be analyzing the results.
“Across the nation, we’ve seen transformative literacy rates using the pedagogy we know works, and we will continue to pursue that approach,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in a statement.
The city has been battling lagging literacy rates, including a persistent gap between Black and Latino students and white and Asian students. In recent years, officials zeroed in on problems with popular curricula that featured disproven methods to teach reading, including guessing at words from context clues.
Former Mayor Eric Adams, who has dyslexia, made the reading reforms a top priority. Mamdani pledged to continue with the changes, which reflect a broader movement known as “the science of reading.”
The research emphasizes explicit instruction on letter sounds and combinations in the early grades, as well as a stronger focus on vocabulary and comprehension.
As part of the reforms, the education department has required schools to adopt one of several vetted curricula.
But some teachers and parents have criticized the new English Language Arts curricula as rigid and boring, and worried classrooms are replacing whole books with shorter texts and worksheets that take the joy out of reading.
In a statement, United Federation of Teachers president Mary Vaccaro said the education department has “piled on” too many requirements and assessments as part of the curricular changes.
“We have to refocus on what we know works in literacy – a clear plan, a tailored science of reading curriculum, and meaningful professional development for educators,” she said. New York City’s dip in reading scores mirrored the statewide results.
Statewide, reading scores were down 5 percentage points over last year, with 48% of students scoring proficient. New York state is also in the process of implementing new “science of reading” strategies.
The city’s math scores for third through eighth graders were up by only one-tenth of a percentage point, with 57% scoring proficient.
Statewide, math proficiency scores were up by 2 percentage points, from 55% last year to 57% this year.
The city has also introduced new math curricula, which have faced similar criticism from some teachers.
City officials said they believe the reforms are working, even if the improvements aren’t reflected in this year’s test scores.
“Our goal remains universal literacy, and we are staying the course with NYC Reads and the science of reading,” Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels said. “These results raise important questions and deserve careful, rigorous analysis so we can ensure we’re measuring what students are learning.”
This story has been updated with more information.