TIME TO LEARN:

Navigating New York City’s Public School System

By Sarah Stanfield

The school system of New York City is daunting to every parent, not just new immigrants. It’s a labyrinth of zones, regions, superintendents, regional superintendents, assistant principals, PTAs…. the list goes on.

The Department of Education is constantly reorganizing itself, usually in an effort to lessen bureaucracy. Unfortunately, the end result tends to be more confusion for parents. Here are some basic tips for making your way around the school system of New York City.

Enrolling Your Child

New York City is divided into several school zones. By law, your child has the right to attend the school in his zone (which is usually your neighborhood). To find out what school your child is supposed to attend, click on the following link from the New York City Department of Education: www.nycenet.edu/ourschools/default.htm. Then click on the “Zone Search” tab, which will tell you where your local school is based on your address. You can also call 311 to find out this information.

All children living in New York City between the ages of 5 and 21 are eligible to register for public school. In order to register your child for the school year, check the DOE Web site at www.nycenet.edu for the date at which school (elementary, middle or high school) starts for that year. For example, school started this year Sept. 8. You should register your child at least two days before the start of school, especially if your child is new to the system. Except for high schools, registration takes place at your local school.

When you register your child, bring proof of your home address, such as a utility bill, the deed to your house, or a medical or insurance card. A telephone bill or driver’s license are not acceptable proofs of address. You must also bring proof of immunization. If your child is registering for the first time, you must also bring a document showing proof of age, such as a birth certificate, baptismal certificate, or passport.

You are not required to bring any documents on or provide any information about your immigrant status. If your child was enrolled at another school, bring whatever records you have, such as report cards and transcripts, to make sure your child is placed in the correct grade. If you don’t have these, your child will be enrolled anyway and the new school will send for them.

Get Their Shots

All children enrolling in New York City public schools must be immunized against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio, the measles, the mumps and rubella. Children born on or after Jan. 1, 1993, and all students in 7th, 8th, and 9th grade must be vaccinated against hepatitis B. Children born on or after Jan. 1, 1998, must also have been vaccinated against chicken pox.

Your child can receive the shots through his or her primary care physician or a Department of Health clinic. Call (212) 676-2273 to find your nearest clinic. A record of your child’s vaccinations will be sent to the Citywide Immunization Registry. If you would like a copy of this record, call (212) 676-2323.

In some cases there might be a medical reason why your child cannot receive a certain immunization. If this is the case, you will be required to provide medical proof of this. If you have religious beliefs against immunization, you can exempt your child from immunization requirements as well. If you don’t have immunization records, schools will give you a two-week grace period either to produce the records or verify that you have started your child on the first round of shots.

Reading A Report Card

An important aspect of tracking your child’s educational progress is the report card his or her school will issue to you. Depending on what grade your child is in, a report card will be generated several times throughout the year.

From kindergarten through sixth grade, your child will be rated on a scale of 1 to 4 in the following major areas: reading, writing, listening and speaking, mathematics, science, social studies, ESL (if applicable), arts, physical education and personal and social growth. The number 1 means your child is far below grade-level standards, 2 means your child approaches grade-level standards, 3 means your child reaches grade-level standards and 4 means he exceeds grade-level standards.

You will notice that just below each major area, there are two or three boxes (depending on grade level), labeled “1st”, 2nd” and “Final.” For the first marking period, the teacher will assign a number rating for several subcategories under the major area. For example, under the Reading category, you might see the sentences, “Chooses appropriate books and reads independently” and “Shows evidence of understanding text.” Then the teacher will assign an overall grade for each major area, based on the ratings in the subcategories. During the second marking period, you will see similar notations. At the end of the first semester, your child will receive a final grade for each major category and subcategories.

Every report card will have a portion for the teacher’s comments about your child. They can be positive or negative and will usually give some tips on how to improve your child’s performance in certain areas. There will also be a section for you to give feedback and suggestions to the teacher about your child. You must sign this and send it back to the teacher. The teacher will add final comments at the end of the semester.

Middle and high school report cards differ slightly from earlier-grade report cards. Middle school report cards are issued three times a year, with the 1 to 4 scale as well as a numeric average for each subject. There is also one of nine possible letters listed next to each numeric average. E stands for Excellent, S for Satisfactory, N for Needs Improvement, U for Unsatisfactory, M for Medical Excuse, X for Excused, P for Passed/Proficient, R for Recently Admitted and Z for No Attendance. The final report card will list your child’s final placement levels and numerical averages.

High school report cards are issued six times a year, three times per semester, indicated as MPs for Marking Periods. For the first marking period, your child will be given one of the several letter grades listed above. For the second and third marking periods, he will be given a numerical grade from 1 to 100. Anything 64 or below means your child is failing that subject. Anything above that number is a passing grade. The higher the number, the better your child is doing in school. The final report will list the numerical grade for that period as well as the grade for the final exam in each subject. There will also be a section for the teacher’s comments in each subject.

If you have any trouble understanding your children’s report cards, talk to their teachers personally or call their school’s Parent Coordinator. To find the Parent Coordinator, go to www.nycenet.edu/OurSchools/default.htm and find your school. It will list the name and contact information for this person.

Language Help

I f you are unable to read your child’s report card in English, you can have it translated into your native language. Currently, most public schools can issue report cards (upon your request) in Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Haitian-Creole, Korean, Russian, Spanish and Urdu, which, according to the Department of Education, are the languages spoken by more than 95 percent of New York City students.

For other languages, a school can usually provide an oral explanation of what the report card means. Some have staff translators; others just use staff members such as teachers, secretaries, and school aids with knowledge of the specific language to translate the card.

Bilingual Education

Bilingual education classes offer students ESL lessons as well as instruction in their native language. In order to take advantage of them, you have to complete a Home Language Identification Survey (HLIS), which basically pinpoints the language your child speaks at home. If you indicate a language other than English is spoken in your home, then your child must take a Language Assessment Battery-Revised (LAB-R) test in English. If your child scores below the 41st percentile on the LAB-R, he or she is eligible for either bilingual education or ESL and must be placed in ESL or bilingual education within 10 days of school enrollment. You should receive a HLIS during enrollment. If not, call 311 to find out where to get the form.

Not every school has a bilingual education program, although all have ESL instruction. If your child’s school does not have bilingual education in your native language, you can transfer the child to another school in your district that does.

The ultimate goal of bilingual education is to help your child learn academic subjects in his native language until he has reached a level of English proficiency that no longer requires him to be in a bilingual program. To that end, make sure he takes the New York State English as a Second Language Achievement Test (NYSESLAT) at the end of every year. If your child tests above a minimum cut-off score on the NYSESLAT, he or she can be referred out of ESL/bilingual education.

Free Lunch

If you feel your child is eligible for free or reduced-priced lunches, you must full out a form called the SD1041 and sent it to your child’s school. You can download it from www.opt-osfns.org/osfns, under the School Resources section. The forms are written in English, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, French, Greek, Haitian-Creole, Hebrew, Italian, Korean, Russian, Hindi, Polish and Urdu. Eligibility is based on your household size and monthly gross income. Full-priced lunch is $1.50. Reduced lunch is $0.50.

Children of parents who do not have a social security number are eligible for free and reduced-price meals. Complete the SD1041 form and write NONE in the section asking for a social security number.

Even if your household is receiving food stamps, your child can receive free lunches. The New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance will send you a Direct Certification letter which, when you take or mail to your child’s school, will make him eligible for free school meals. If you don’t receive this letter, complete the SD1041 form, giving your food stamp or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families case number. Your child will then be eligible for free breakfast or lunch at school.

After-School Programs

It’s an unfortunate myth that all New York City public schools have after-school programs, which can offer children anything from academic tutoring to athletic activities. Some schools do have these programs. Call your school to find out if it has one and how much it costs.

If your school does not have an after-school program, you still have several options. Many Queens organizations offer after-school programs in almost every neighborhood. The Department of Youth and Community Development, for example, offers the Out of School Time (OST) program, which provides free after-school activities with a mix of academic support, sports and recreational activities, the arts and cultural experiences for elementary, middle school, and high school kids. To find the closest OST program to you, go to www.nyc.gov/html/dycd//html/services-ost-program-directory.html, and type in your zip code.

The DYCD also offers the Beacon Program, which operates in public schools throughout the year. Beacon offers academic enhancement programs, career planning assistance, life skills, community-building and recreational activities. For more information about a Beacon program near you, call (212) 788-6754.

Another option is the YMCA, which has after-school programs in at least five different locations throughout Queens. Go to www.ymcanyc.org and click on the map of Queens on the right side of the homepage to find out more about the programs.

No Child Left Behind

President George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act into law in early 2002, which is meant to hold states and schools responsible for the academic achievement of all its students. Among its many provisions, it allows parents to transfer their children from failing schools to ensure academic success.

The NCLB Act requires states to implement statewide accountability systems covering all public schools and students. These systems must be based on specific state standards in reading and mathematics, annual testing for all students in grades three through eight, and annual statewide progress objectives. School districts and schools that fail to make adequate yearly progress toward statewide proficiency goals may be subject to improvement, corrective action, and restructuring measures aimed at getting them back on course to meet state standards.

New York City is attempting to fulfill the provisions of the act through its Children First program. It focuses on improving teaching and learning in individual schools and classrooms through the adoption of a single, city-wide approach for the instruction of reading, writing and math. As part of this program, it issues reports cards on individual schools themselves every year. If your school does not send you its report card, request it from the school or go to www.nycenet.edu/daa/SchoolReports, which lists all school report cards in the city.

On the bottom of the first page of the document, you will see a small grey box that says: School Accountability Status. Next to it, it might say, “In Corrective Action,” “Restructuring,” “Requiring Academic Progress,” or “In Need of Improvement.” If you see the latter two of these on the card, it might be a good idea to get your child transferred to another school. Call 311 if you need more help interpreting the school report.