150+ schools caught ‘faking’ the grade

More than 150 lowperforming schools where less than 10 percent of the students passed this year’s state math and English exams claimed skyhigh pass rates for class work in the same subjects, according to a study released Monday.

Officials at StudentsFirstNY, which compiled the study of 167 schools, say the conflicting results show grade inflation is rampant in the school system.

“There are scandalous levels of grade inflation going on across the board at New York City public schools, and the de Blasio administration must address it,” said Jenny Sedlis, the group’s executive director.

Sedlis called for an independent audit of course work to ensure city schools “are not lowering the bar and giving parents a false picture.”

The review found that the same schools where 90 percent or more of students couldn’t make it through the state’s English and math tests produced average pass rates of 85 percent and 84 percent, respectively, for course work in English and math.

Some schools with zero pass rates showed kids excelling in the classroom.

Not one student passed either the state’s Common Core math or English exam at the Wadleigh Secondary School or the Choir Academy of Harlem middle school.

But 92 percent of Wadleigh students passed their course work in both subjects, as did 84 percent of Choir students, the analysis found.

Students’ average pass rates were 80 percent or above for math and English course work at schools citywide.

But the pass rates in grades 3 through 8 on the state English exam was 30.2 percent, and in math it was 35.2 percent.

The differences stunned worried city parents.

“I would rather know from the school now that there’s a problem, rather than waiting for state tests to tell me if there’s a problem,” said Nakdia Porter, whose son is a secondgrader at PS 305 in BedfordStuyvesant.

The city Department of Education said it’s wrong to judge a school just by state exam results.

“State tests are one critical measure of student progress, and this use is misleading and overemphasizes performance on a single test while failing to recognize multiple measures to demonstrate mastery,” spokeswoman Devora Kaye said.

There are scandalous le evels of grade inflation going on oss the board at New w York City publ lic schools.

Jenny Sedl is( left ), executive director of Students First NY

When the facts don’t suit you . . . lie. That’s how the city schools operate, a new study shows. The StudentsFirstNY study cites “massive grade inflation” that serves to “conceal underperformance” by the schools. It accuses the city of “misleading parents by giving students high marks on school coursework even though the students are performing below grade level.”

The study looks at dozens of schools where nine out of 10 kids flunk state tests. Somehow, it notes, kids at these failure mills “pass” their courses — which makes it seem the schools are doing fine, when they’re not.

The study also blasts the city’s phony “school quality reports,” which show “the vast majority” of schools “meeting” or “exceeding” targets, even though at many only a small fraction of kids pass state exams.

And the deception’s getting worse: Of 100 schools the city deemed failures in 2014, only two got that label this year. Yet kids at the other 98 schools continue to flunk state tests. At 11, less than 10 percent of kids passed.

Why lie about the abysmal performance?

Because admitting it, the report rightly notes, would force City Hall to take steps the teachers union opposes — like closing lousy schools and making it easier for kids to escape to charters. And Mayor de Blasio won’t cross the union.

The new findings won’t shock readers of The Post, which has long reported on fraud and gradefixing in city schools. Remember Melissa Mejia, who griped to The Post in August that she somehow passed a course despite not showing up, not doing homework and skipping the final?

Her high school wanted to give her a diploma even though she hadn’t met the requirements — just to goose its graduation rate.

Indeed, the citywide graduation rate is one big lie: While schools hand out diplomas to 68 percent of seniors, only 27 percent are deemed ready for college or a job. So why let them graduate?

As Mejia noted, the deceptions cheat kids of the education they’re owed.

The new report shows that the road to worthless diplomas is paved with years of worthless report cards.