Gothamist | New York City teachers want more training and other resources to fulfill Mayor Eric Adams’ goal of improving low literacy rates in public schools, according to a new survey.

According to recent data, students are still struggling to read proficiently. On state tests, scores on English Language Arts in grades 3-8 dipped a bit last year, although the students just learning to read – and who will be most affected by the change – haven’t taken the exams yet.

Preliminary internal data obtained by Gothamist also showed that during the first few months of the overhaul, proficiency rates dipped slightly more at schools using the new materials than those that hadn’t made the switch yet.

Experts said the data is premature and called for patience.

“It’s hard to hear sometimes but very true, and that is that change of this magnitude takes time and we’ve got to sustain the work to give it a chance to take hold,” said Kim Sweet, executive director of Advocates for Children of New York. Her group is calling for more interventions for struggling students.