Riverdale’s ONLY Locally Owned Newspaper!


Volume XVII • Number 39 • August 12 - 18, 2010 • FREE! Borough schools beat local institutions on tests By CANDICE M. GIOVE Scores of schools across the Borough outshined P.S. 7


on the standardized math and reading tests. And some borough schools vaulted over P.S. 24, P.S. 81 and the Riverdale Kingsbridge Academy, too. But no local institution saw as many schools from


other parts of The Bronx outperform them as did the Kingsbridge elementary school. The State Education Department's adjusted scores,


released last week, showed that 64 Bronx schools out- paced P.S. 7 in reading. And 60 borough schools achieved higher results on the mathematics test. “It would appear that P.S 7 needs improvement,” Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz said. Students at P.S. 24 glistened in comparison to other


borough schools. None outperformed the school in reading proficiency. The Riverdale elementary school had 64.2 percent of its test-takers receive a Level 3 or Level 4 on that test this year. When it came to math, some borough schools did better than P.S. 24. P.S. 304 on Lafayette Avenue had 83.5 percent of


its third-, fourth- and fifth-graders score a Level 3 or 4. Those levels were also achieved by 81.6 percent at P.S.


32 on Mohegan Avenue, 77.9 percent at P.S. 307 on Eames Place and 75.7 percent at P.S. 205 on Southern Boulevard.


Comparatively, 74 percent reached proficiency on the math test at P.S. 24. Twelve schools beat P.S. 81 on this year’s standard-


ized math test—including the AmPark School on Hill- man Avenue, where 70.9 percent of students scored at Level 3 or 4. At P.S. 81, 65.4 percent reached that level of understanding. Then, on the reading test, six schools across the Bor-


ough bested the Riverdale Avenue elementary school. Those schools include P.S. 25 of East 149th Street, where 61.3 percent of students achieved proficiency, and P.S. 32 on Mohegan Avenue, where 59.5 percent did the same. P.S. 81 saw only 57.9 percent of their students achieve proficiency on the reading standardized test this year. Both Riverdale elementary schools did not clinch first place among the borough’s schools in math. “The fact that neither of them are the top in The


Bronx is a little bit disappointing, but their scores are still higher than almost every school,” Dinowitz said. “There clearly could be improvement there as well.”


Students at the Riverdale Kingsbridge Academy fared


better on the standardized reading test than most of its counterparts in the Borough. Two schools saw students achieve better results among their sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade test-takers. One of those schools blew the Riverdale middle school—which had only 46.1 percent of students reach proficiency this year—out of the wa- ter. At M.S. 101 on Lafayette Avenue, 76.1 percent of students made the grade. Twelve schools outdid Riverdale middle school stu-


dents on the standardized math test. While RKA had 52.3 percent of test-takers at Level 3 or 4, M.S. 101 saw 80.4 percent achieve those results, and M.S. 327 on Crotona Park South saw 72.4 percent do the same. Still, the scores mean that less than half of the middle


school students here were proficient in reading, and only slightly more than half understood math on their grade level. “None of that’s acceptable,” Dinowitz thought. “Whether it’s number one or number 20, if the scores themselves are bad, then the scores are bad.” Even the Fun Math School, which used to occupy the


Whitehall Annex, outdid RKA. At the relocated Fun Math School, 62.3 percent of students comprehended math.


Beep meets state Senate hopeful over lunch at local diner


By CANDICE M. GIOVE The leadership of embattled


state Senator Pedro Espada Jr. just doesn’t cut it. At least that’s the tone the


conversation took between Bronx Borough President Ru- ben Diaz and Gustavo Rivera, a candidate who’s trying to unseat the beleaguered incumbent, over lunch at the Land and Sea Restau- rant on Monday afternoon. With a groundswell of ill-feel-


ings about Espada, the borough’s top elected official said that the senator’s become, in many Bronxites' eyes, the symbol for all that’s wrong with Albany. “And so I’m not endorsing Pedro,” he said. Though the two broke bread—well, turkey burgers and fries—Diaz did not make any endorsement at the table. And he’s uncertain when or if he’ll cast his lot with either Rivera or Daniel Padernacht, a local community board member and attorney also vying for the 33rd district’s state Senate seat. “Stay tuned,” he said. Diaz plans to talk politics


over coffee next week with Pad- ernacht. What was clear was that Rivera left an impression upon him. “He’s substantive, he’s smart


and obviously there’s a lot of institutions and Bronxites that have warmed up to his candida- cy. And because of that, I thought that as the borough president it’s important to me to sit and hear him out,” Diaz said. Rivera has seen support swell


over the last few weeks. The day he sat down for plates of American fare with the borough president and his top staffers, he received the formal endorsement of 1199 SEIU, the healthcare workers’ union, and 32BJ, a local of the building service workers. The healthcare union’s seal of ap- proval came as no surprise, since Rivera once worked for it. The candidate is now working hard for Diaz’s nod. “I share his vision for The


Bronx,” he said, after lunching with him. “He understands and he made


it clear that there has been failure of leadership in the current sena- tor,” he added. Rivera said that he discussed


with the beep a number of is- sues not being addressed by the district’s current leader. Those lapses include ensur-


ing “responsible and inclusive economic development,” educa- tion, having a partner in Albany to secure Campaign for Fiscal


Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. has a sit-down with Gustavo Rivera, a state Senate candidate, who’s trying to whet Diaz’s appetite for an endorsement.


Equity Funds, and the borough’s healthcare industry, which serves and employs thousands across the Borough, Rivera said. He also criticized Espada for


not properly tackling affordable housing concerns. “One in three


Bronxites fear that they might be homeless if the prices of their rent goes up,” Rivera said. He hoped to work with Diaz


on these issues. “I want to be an ally to him in Albany to make sure we can address these things,”


he added. Rivera and Padernacht both


secured places on the ballot, after the three in the race tried to in- validate each other's petitions. Late last week, Padernacht Continued on Page 2


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16