by Melissa Chen, fact checker

Mayor Bill de Blasio and Chancellor Carmen Fariña announced that students have made “substantial gains” on New York State English and math exams.

Compared to last year and this year’s percentage of students meeting proficiency standards in English, the percentage has increased by 7.6. 36.4% of students met standards for math, which is an 1.2 point increase from last year.

“These are major accomplishments for our students and families, teachers, principals, superintendents, field support staffs, and all the educators across the city. This is not one person’s job, this is all your jobs working together, so I thank you for your commitment, your perseverance, and your belief in our students,” chancellor Carmen Fariña said.

NYC students have closed the gap with the state on English exams for the first time.

“I think I improved a lot on my state test scores because we learned a lot last year. Teachers gave us worksheets to prepare us and went over topics days before the test,” eighth grader Jasmina Handanovic said.

Improvements have been shown in every school district and borough. Over 26,000 students have moved out of level one in English.