Dear Commons Community,

On a subject that has received attention on this blog, Professor Gregory Johnson passed along this story that appeared in the New York Post yesterday.  Entitled Remedial class’ nightmare at CUNY, it states that in Fall 2010 nearly 80 percent of the students entering the City University of New York’s community colleges failed at least one basic skills examination in either reading, writing or mathematics.  Furthermore, the situation is getting worse with more NYC public school graduates (22.6%) needing to take remedial coursework in all three basic skill areas.   One observer blamed lax standards, dumbing down of New York State Regents Examinations needed to graduate and an expansion of credit-recovery programs.  David Bloomfield, a colleague and professor at Brooklyn College, likened credit recovery to “giving out credits like candy…The graduation rate has increased, but without the subject mastery…It amounts to social promotion.”  In sum, NYC public high schools are graduating more students but fewer of them are able to do college level-work.  We are doing them and their parents an injustice.

Tony