I really appreciate the opportunity to join all of you here at Disney World. I can't wait to get over to the Magic Kingdom. I just love cartoon characters; outlandish fairy tales; and wild, stomach-churning roller coaster rides.
-Mayor Bloomberg, Excellence in Action Summit

If you like fairy tales, today is your day. Overnight, the majority of kids in New York City have become proficient readers (up 7 percentage points to 58%) and mathematicians (up 9 percentage points to 74%). Apparently, scores are up even more in Buffalo, Yonkers, and Rochester. Here's Elizabeth Green's article in the NY Sun, Mayor Sees a Test Score Triumph: Or Is It a Case of Inflation of Results? When test scores rise dramatically on one test and are largely flat on the NAEP, we have good reasons to worry that something besides real learning is happening. In this case, it appears that the NY ELA and Math tests were just easier, which drove up scores across the state.

Alas, at the Magic Kingdom, outlandish fairy tales always win the day. Bloomberg is holding a press soiree at P.S. 175 in Harlem this afternoon, and the state is holding its press conference at 11:45. More details to follow...