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Volume XIX • Number 27 • July 19 - 25, 2012 •
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State test scores a mixed bag for local schools By MIAWLING LAM Local elementary and middle school students posted mixed results on this year’s standardized tests. Data from the state’s English and math exams, released by the New York State Education Department late Tuesday, shows while proficiency levels rose at P.S. 24 and M.S/H.S. 141, fewer students at P.S. 81 were performing at grade level in English. P.S. 24 emerged as the clear winner in the battle of the two local elementary schools, with nearly 84 percent deemed proficient in math, up from 81 percent last year. In English, 75 percent met or exceeded the state’s bar for proficiency, compared to 71 percent in 2011. The number of P.S. 24 students scoring at level 3 and 4—the top two bands—also soared across-theboard on the math exam, while in English, most grades recorded gains. The percentage of fourth graders passing the English exam jumped from 8 percent to 14 percent. However, the number of third graders meeting or exceeding English proficiency levels dropped from 74 percent to 71 percent.
At P.S. 81, slightly fewer students in third and fourth grades met the state’s bar for English proficiency, contributing to the school’s overall 63 percent pass rate. Last year, it was 64 percent. However, the school recorded gains in math, with 69 percent of children performing at grade level, compared to 64 percent in 2011. In another bright spot, the percentage of P.S. 81 third graders passing the math exam jumped from 61 percent to 69 percent. Meanwhile, students at Riverdale Kingsbridge Academy also recorded modest gains across both subjects. Nearly half of all students at M.S/H.S. 141 passed the English exam this year, slightly up from 45 percent in 2011. The school fared better in math with 66 percent of students reaching the state’s standard, up from 62 percent last year. Overall, the number of city students meeting proficiency rose for a second consecutive year. Around 47 percent met the state’s English standard, compared to 44 percent in 2011, while 60 percent were up to par in math, also up from 57 percent last year.
Statewide, 55 percent of students met the state’s bar for proficiency in English, up from 53 percent in the previous year. In math, 65 percent of students met or exceeded the standard, up from 63 percent. Despite the gains, Mayor Michael Bloomberg pledged that city officials would not grow complacent or rest on their laurels. “The progress we see this year doesn’t give us a reason to rest—it gives us a reason to strive for even greater gains,” he said in a news release. “There’s still much more work to do, but there’s no question our students are headed in the right direction.” Schools Chancellor Dennis M. Walcott also threw his support behind the state’s efforts to lift standards and said the initiatives would better prepare students for college and the workplace. Next year, state officials will introduce new college and career-ready standards, as well as a rigorous teacher and principal evaluation system. “We support the state’s commitment to raise standards for curriculum and graduation, and to increase the Continued on Page 5
Second massage parlor appears to be out of business By MIAWLING LAM Law enforcement officials are seeking to shutter Riverdale’s only remaining massage parlor after an employee was busted for soliciting sexual services yet again. In March, undercover NYPD officers swooped on Riverdale Skin & Body Care, a massage parlor located at 3733 Riverdale Avenue, but news of the bust
Bronx-born Donald Sobol, the author of the well-known Encyclopedia Brown books, has died. See editorial on Page 18.
emerged only this week. Commanding officer of the 50th Precinct Captain Kevin Burke revealed Kisook Kim, 35, from Queens, was arrested and charged with prostitution during the covert operation on March 2. Authorities allege she agreed to perform sexual intercourse with a client for $140. The second undercover sting was carried out shortly after two employees were first nabbed for prostitution in February. In that incident, officers from the NYPD’s Bronx Vice Squad charged Eun Lee, 53, for permitting prostitution and slapped Kim with one charge of prostitution. Officers allege she agreed to perform sexual intercourse in exchange for money on that occasion, too. Burke said authorities were now pursuing the establishment’s closure, per the city’s nuisance abatement order. Under those rules, a city judge can order a building boarded up if there is sufficient evidence that two counts of prostitution occurred on the premises. “They’re now in the process of submitting the paperwork to the courts,” Capt. Burke said, adding that it takes roughly two months
for a judge to deliver a decision once the documents are filed Captain Burke said the latest development was proof that there was no place in the precinct for such illegal activities. “We are pro-business, however we’re not going to tolerate any illegal activities and we’re going to do our best to investigate and respond to community complaints.” The revelations come a month after the Riverdale Review first reported that the business appeared to be trading as Riverdale Spa on the popular classifieds website backpage.com. The posts, which at one time appeared on a daily basis, have disappeared from the site. At the time, the establishment was pitched as offering its clients an “unforgettable Asian full body rub,” “royal treatments by real Korean and Japanese,” and “sensual FUN.” The advertisement, which featured images of four women in various states of undress, also touted its “luxurious, high class full body rub” and “table shower.” According to Urban Dictionary, an online reference of slang words and phrases, a table Continued on Page 3
Progress on the Palisade Avenue retaining wall repair project: Concrete structures with a stone-patterned façade are being set in place. The project is due for completion in several months.