To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.

Then come back here and refresh the page.

When the Department Of Education hands out report cards to city public schools, most of the grade is based on how much improvement they show on state math and reading tests.

This year's scores were up for schools across the state, and 97 percent of city elementary and middle schools got either an "A" or "B" on their progress reports. Yet at a Friday City Council hearing, council members raised questions about the reliability of the report cards and the trustworthiness of Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration.

"Based on this year's inflated results, changes have to be made, without a doubt," said Manhattan Councilman Robert Jackson.

"One can't afford to walk away from a system because it is not perfect yet. The goal is to make it stronger and stronger," said DOE official Shael Polakow-Suransky.

The benchmarks for what makes an "A" versus an "F" were set long before the city knew how much higher state test scores would be this year, according to DOE officials. They also say it wouldn't have been fair to principals to change the report card standards after those scores came out.

DOE officials also say the easily comprehensible A-to-F grading system helps parents know how well schools are doing and keeps educators accountable.

"Since the city began holding principals accountable for student outcomes, things have changed for the better," said Polakow-Suransky.

State education officials have committed to rewriting New York's standardized tests to make them harder, but if the state test scores go down next year, progress report grades will plummet.

Council members questioned whether the report system is accurate if each school's score can swing up or down from year to year, based on the state test.

DOE officials said the system is not perfect, but before it was started in 2007 there was no easy way to compare schools.

Yet critics question whether a simple letter grade can be a fair assessment, as well as whether noting progress only in English and Math sends the wrong message.

"You are saying art's not important, drama's not important," said Brooklyn Councilman Domenic Recchia. "Keep those kids in a room all day and we are going to bang them up and make sure they know the math and the reading and forget about everything else."

Everyone seemed to agree on one thing: in the future, 97 percent of schools shouldn't get such glowing grades.