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Volume XIX • Number 37 • Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2012 •
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SAT scores at RKA drop for second consecutive year By MIAWLING LAM Seniors at the Riverdale Kingsbridge Academy scored an overall average of 1,333 on the 2012 Scholastic Aptitude Test, more than 160 points shy of the national mean. New figures released on Tuesday by the College Board, the company that administers the SAT, shows H.S. 141’s composite scores took a 34-point dive in 2012. The school’s 113 test-takers averaged a score of 438 on critical reading, 455 on mathematics and 440 on writing, meaning it was ranked 64th among more than 470 city high schools. Average scores for RKA seniors on the college entrance exam have plummeted by 91 points in the past two years. In 2011, students averaged 1,367 on the three sections of the test. In 2010, the composite score was 1,424. Despite the poor performance, H.S. 141 emerged as the fifth-best high school in The Bronx and the thirdbest in District 10. The borough’s two flagship specialized high schools— Bronx High School of Science and High School of American Studies—came out on top, followed by Bronx Center for Science and Mathematics and Collegiate Institute for Math and Science.
Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz was not pleased with RKA’s results. “Clearly there’s tremendous room for improvement,” he said. “While the scores compare favorably to most schools in The Bronx and around the city, a drop of over 90 points in over two years isn’t acceptable, and neither is the citywide average. “Apparently, the DOE policies just aren’t working, and therefore we need to redouble our efforts to improve these schools.” Nationally, students averaged 1,498 on the test, with scores of 496 on critical reading, 514 on mathematics and 488 on writing. Meanwhile, the overall citywide average for collegebound seniors was 1,325, a slight drop from last year’s composite score of 1,327. As of press time, an email to RKA principal Lori O’Mara was not returned. The maximum score on each section is 800, and 360 seniors nationwide scored a perfect 2,400. According to the City University of New York, seniors must score at least 980 on their combined critical reading and math SAT exams to gain admission to one of the least competitive four-year colleges—Medgar Evers
College. To gain admission into Lehman College or Hunter College, students must score at least 990. Officials do not take into account results from the writing component. The College Board estimates students need to score 1,550 on the SAT to have a 65 percent chance of averaging a B- or higher grade average in their first year of college. However, the organization said just 43 percent of test-takers in 2012 met that benchmark. Although the city’s Class of 2012 recorded marks well below the national average of 1,498, education officials spun the results by trumpeting increased student participation. Schools Chancellor Dennis M. Walcott said student participation spiked by 2.3 percent in 2012, compared to the national average increase of 1.2 percent. “As we continue to raise academic standards, our students are rising to the challenge,” he said in a statement. “Advanced Placement and SAT exams are important benchmarks along a student’s path to success in their college and careers, and I’m proud that every year, more New York City students are taking these exams.”
Tulfan Terrace apartment project, long delayed, is back on track By MIAWLING LAM and TESS McRAE Thirty luxury units at Tulfan Terrace, the long-awaited apartment building on Oxford Avenue, may finally hit the real estate market in April next year. A representative from mortgage owner Ox-3620 LLC said the high-rise condo tower remains on track to be completed by March 2013—nine years after construction began. Scaffolding and black safety mesh surrounding the building’s façade were torn down earlier this month, revealing a curved wall of windows. “We’re progressing very nicely,” Ox-3620 LLC co-owner Michael Goldberg told the Riverdale Review. “We’re hoping to be totally done by March and to start letting people in to see the building by April.” When asked whether the 30 units would eventually be listed for sale or for rent, Goldberg said he was unsure. “That’s still up in the air,” he said. “Our first option will be as a condo, but I think based on the market today, it’s going to have to be a rental.” Construction on the Riverdale eyesore stalled in 2006 after
one of the building’s financial backers, James Murray, became embroiled in fraud and embezzlement charges relating to another site. The legal dramas meant his two other partners—Robert Wagner and Michael Bookle—were drained of the funds needed to finish the project. With construction coming to a halt, the building foreclosed, paving the way for Ox-3620 LLC to purchase the property in March 2010. Since then, the limited liability corporation has been trying to complete the long-awaited project per the original plans and said considerable progress has been made. “The windows are in, the bricks are up and the roof is on. We’re now installing flooring, the bathrooms, and starting to work on the design for the front courtyard and entryway and the second-level exterior courtyard,” Goldberg said. Once complete, Tulfan Terrace will hold 30 spacious three-bedroom, two-bathroom units, each measuring 1,600 square feet. The building will also boast a private garden, on-site parking, recreational facilities and a
community room where tenants can throw children’s birthday parties. Neighboring residents have previously complained about the safety hazards around the seemingly permanent construction site. Many expressed concerns about the tower’s unsafe scaffolding, and reports emerged of debris flying off the building during winter snowstorms. However, local resident Peggy Diamond said she has never had any qualms with the project and was eager to see it finally completed. “It’s a shame it got stuck for so many years,” she said. “I’ve never had a problem with it in the past, and hopefully it’ll be something good for the neighborhood and bring in good people.” According to the Department of Buildings, the last complaint was lodged on June 23 after a neighbor accused workers of failing to secure the worksite and leaving construction materials exposed to the public. No violations were issued, as emergency response crews said all materials were stored safely and that a chain link fence surrounded the entire site.