New York City’s Department of Education promoted 99.6% of students in grades 3-8 during the 2024-2025 school year. State test data showed only 57% of city students in those grades were proficient in math.
Manhattan Institute Fellow Danyela Egorov said the grading system lacks accountability. “There are no consequences for poor performance so school staff has no incentive to give a fair grade,” she said. Brooklyn College Professor Emeritus David Bloomfield said teachers may give higher grades to avoid conflict over instruction, attendance and student effort.
The debate comes as New York education officials move away from some objective measures. In September, the state Board of Regents moved to eliminate the requirement that students pass Regents exams to graduate. Board member Felicia Thomas-Williams defended that direction by saying, “You don’t assess a fish on climbing a tree because fish can’t climb trees.” A New York State Education Department spokesperson said many states are moving away from “high-stakes testing.”
The cost falls on families who depend on schools to tell the truth. City Council on High Schools member Adriana Aviles told Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels on Monday that her son received straight A’s in math for years but could not do fractions or algebra in high school. A Learning Heroes study found 88% of parents believe their children are at or above grade level in math, down from 97% in 2022.
Grades shape access to advanced programs and future opportunity. When schools promote students without evidence they have mastered the basics, parents aren't given an accurate picture of their child's readiness. Across the country, public trust in education depends on honest standards, not paperwork that hides whether children can read, write, and do math.
