City Gives B Grades to PS 98, Bayside HS and Cardozo

The city's Department of Education gave B averages to both high schools that Douglaston students attend as well as its elementary school in recent report cards that graded schools across the five boroughs.

But City Councilman Mark Weprin, D-Little Neck, blasted the report cards at Community Board 11's Nov. 8 meeting.

"It made me laugh," he said. "Don't worry about the progress reports. They don't mean much. It's so driven by test scores, so teachers don't think about teaching anymore -  just students getting better grades."

Students from Douglaston and Little Neck must travel to Bayside High School and Benjamin N. Cardozo High School. Douglaston's elementary students attend P.S. 98, located at 40-20 235th St.

The DOE's report cards graded city high schools based on rates of graduation, attendance and progress toward graduation as well as surveys sent to parents, teachers and students. Bayside High School and Cardozo High School both received B grades.

Earlier in the fall, the city rated the city's elementary schools in a similar report. In that study, P.S. 98 was given a B rating.

Robert Caloras, president of Community District Education Council 26, said the DOE does not take overcrowding and a lack of funds into account when handing down its letter grades. He believed the schools should have received A letter grades across the board.

"The progress reports are a joke," he said. "They in no way represent what goes on at our schools."

Caloras said he believed the DOE's grading system was flawed and that schools in northeast Queens make progress despite a lack of adequate funding. Cardozo and Bayside High School are among the city's most overcrowded high schools, he said.

"To give them a B is an insult as overcrowded as they are and with the number of students who they bring in who are under average," he said. "P.S. 98 gets by on little money. They survive on an allotment per child without any extra money. Yet, they are expected to do so much more."

The elementary school could not be reached for comment.

Schools from School District 26, which covers Douglaston, Bayside and Little Neck, have consistently been ranked among the city's best in past studies.

In each report, a school's environment accounted for 15 percent of its letter grade. This was determined by surveys taken by faculty, students and parents.

Student performance made up for 25 percent of the school's grade, while student progress accounted for 60 percent.

Bayside High School received an overall score of 69.4 percent as well as B grades in the school environment and student performance categories. But its student progress was given a C.

Cardozo had an overall score of 63 percent and received a B for student performance. But it was given a C in the school environment and student progress categories.

In the elementary school report, P.S. 98 received B grades for school environment and student performance. The school was given an A for student progress.

The DOE's high school report covered 422 schools and its elementary school report graded 1,140 sites.