A new report is spurring New York state to overhaul the way it defines academic proficiency for public-school students — a massive change that could suddenly label tens of thousands of kids as being below grade level.
Among a litany of shocking revelations in a soon-to-be-released study is the fact that eighth-graders who score a 3 out of 4 on state math and reading tests have just a 52 percent chance of graduating high school, even though they’ve been told they’re on track.
“We’ve been calling that ‘proficient,’ ” state Board of Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch told The Post’s editorial board. “We were giving out misleading information.”
State officials have already raised the passing bar on this year’s math and reading tests, made them less predictable, and widened their scope — changes that have doubled the number of city students relegated to summer school.
Among older kids, the study found that those who did just well enough on their high-school math Regents to graduate — scoring at or slightly above the passing grade of 65 — had a less than 5 percent chance of getting placed in the easiest for-credit math course offered to CUNY freshmen.