Schools see drastic decline in test scores under new standards

Only 26% of city students in third through eighth grade passed the newly redesigned testing standards in English, with only about 30% passing them in math, the New York State Education Department said Wednesday.

The numbers fell drastically compared to last year's easier test, when 47% passed in English and 60% passed in math, the department said.

The new exams are part of a nationwide effort to create more rigorous standards, and New York is just the second state to administer them. Officials have been warning that a drop was to be expected.