6.29.23 - SUCCESS ACADEMY MIDDLE SCHOOLERS ACE HIGH SCHOOL REGENTS EXAMS
'New York, NY, June 29, 2023 — As national math and reading test scores for 8th graders in the United States plummeted to the lowest level in decades, Success Academy middle schoolers achieved extraordinary results on the New York Regents Exams this year, tests typically taken by high schoolers. All 831 8th graders sat for the exams, with 99.8% passing the Algebra I Regents — and 47% scoring a level 5, the highest possible level. The mostly low-income, Black and Hispanic students achieved equally impressive results on the English Regents (94.6% pass rate) and Biology/Living Environment (96%) Regents. SA’s 7th graders — 1,220 of them! — took the Global History & Geography Regents this month as well, with 90% passing.
Success Academy middle schoolers outperformed the city and state high school students, many of whom take Regents exams in 10th or 11th grade.
Comparative scores for NYC and NYS are from 2022, the most recent publicly available data NYC DOE source: https://infohub.nyced.org/reports/academics/test-results NYS source: https://data.nysed.gov/essa.php?instid=7889678368&year=2022&createreport=1®ents=1
“Our scholars continue to prove what is possible for all students,” said Eva Moskowitz, founder and CEO of Success Academy. “Success Academy is raising the bar, while all around us standards are being lowered.”
Eliminating or altering Regents exams is currently under consideration by a 64-person state commission charged with reviewing high school graduation requirements.
Nationally, less than a quarter of 8th graders enroll in algebra, and in New York City, it’s equally rare for district middle schools to offer Regents courses. Success Academy is the exception. All 8th graders take Algebra I, Biology/Living Environment, and English Regents exams, and 7th graders take the Global History and Geography Regents. Taking the exams in middle school allows students to take more advanced college preparatory courses in high school.
These results follow the release of a study from Stanford University’s Center for Research on Educational Outcomes (CREDO), which showed Success Academy leading the nation in additional math learning at scale (206 extra days than district schools). '