January 22, 2006 | New York Times

To the Editor:

In "Failing Our Students" (Op-Ed, Jan. 8), Evangeline Harris Stefanakis asserts that "New York City schools base their decision on whether to promote students entirely on results from the state achievement exams," and proposes that city schools should consider portfolios of student work.

For all of our elementary and middle-grade students, promotion is already based on multiple criteria - including the test, student attendance and student work.

A glance at media coverage of Mayor Michael Bloomberg's no-nonsense promotion policy would reveal that there is an automatic appeal and portfolio review for every third-, fifth- and seventh-grade student who performs poorly on the test and is in jeopardy of being held back; that marginal students in these grades are provided intense supportive instruction and tested again; that, even then, principals and superintendents are involved in portfolio reviews and in any decision to hold a student in grade for another year; and that parents can appeal a decision.

Ms. Stefanakis also alleges that relying solely on test performance is particularly unfair to immigrant students with limited English-language skills. However, English language learners with fewer than two years in any English-language school system are exempt from the policy, and promotion of others with two or three years in an English-speaking system is based on multiple criteria, including the test, attendance and student work. And yes, they may appeal such decisions.

Stephen J. Morello
Lower Manhattan
The writer is director of communications, Department of Education.

To the Editor:

Fourth-grade students from language-minority communities are not the only ones who face serious impediments to their educational progress from unfair high-stakes standardized tests.

All high school students must take Regents exams. Not surprisingly, there is a resulting dropout crisis; more than half of New York City's English language learners drop out. In contrast, CUNY Graduate Center researchers found that at International High Schools, small public high schools serving recent immigrants, 88.7 percent of students graduate.

The success of English language learners is more accurately demonstrated by multiple assessments. Indeed, all International High Schools use portfolio assessment in addition to standardized tests.

Our schools have developed a strong, standards-based portfolio system, refined over more than a decade of implementation. Graduates repeatedly cite the writing requirements of portfolio projects as strong preparation for college research papers and other college-level work.

It is time for the state education commissioner to develop fair and appropriate policies that meet the needs of English language learners to address the growing high school dropout crisis.

Claire E. Sylvan
Hell's Kitchen
The writer is executive director, Internationals Network for Public Schools.

To the Editor:

While portfolio assessment for English language learners seems promising on the surface, it ignores the needs of our large population of transient students, many of whom come from low-income and immigrant communities.

How can a student be fairly assessed by portfolio if that student has attended two or three different schools in a year? Portfolio assessment is just as unfair to transient students as high-stakes testing is to English language learners.

The real solution is what teachers have been saying for years: smaller class size. Children who speak different languages are lumped together because classes of 10 to 15 students are considered fiscally unfeasible. Unfortunately, politicians, particularly our governor, seem unwilling to finance public education to the extent that students can succeed.

Geraldine Caulfield
Astoria, Queens
The writer is a high school teacher.