Some schools getting better

Efforts to increase literacy, decrease class size and train teachers to reach every student have put some local districts on a state list of schools with rapidly improving student performance, Capital Region school officials said Thursday.

A list released by the state Department of Education on Thursday identifies 373 rapidly improving public schools statewide, based on student performance in the 2006-07 school year.

“We’ve done quite a bit over the last 12 months,” said Schenectady Superintendent of Schools Eric Ely. The district had eight schools on the list. “I’m happy with progress, but I’m not a real patient person and I want to see progress at a faster rate.”

The rapidly improving schools have demonstrated improved student performance across all demographic areas by at least 10 percent over the last three years in areas where they were previously below state standards, according to Department of Education spokesman Tom Dunn.

“The rapidly improving schools are not all above the mark, but they’re making very good progress toward it,” Dunn said. “Progress takes time. It takes a lot of work.”

Ely attributed Schenectady’s success to reduced class size, after-school programs and a focus on literacy by all teachers, regardless of which subject is being taught.

“I think it speaks a lot to the work that we do,” he said. “It’s not acceptable for us not to be able to provide something that can reach every child.”

Literacy has also been stressed in the Albany City School District, which also had eight schools on the list, according to district spokesman Ron Lesko.

For example, he said the district has instituted literacy coaches in all the schools to help students who are having trouble reading.

Administrators have also focused on helping teachers personalize instruction for students who are having difficulty in an area.

“It is good news for us today,” Lesko said. “We know we’ve got work to do, but this tells us that all of these things and all of the hard work that our teachers and students are doing is paying off for us.”

Two of the three schools on the list in Amsterdam are magnet schools, meaning students who live in the district but are outside of the school’s geographic area can apply to attend school there. The third is scheduled to become a magnet school next year.

Magnet schools also stress a specific theme, such as science, mathematics or international studies.

“We spent a great deal of time the last few years analyzing the questions and the results [on standardized math and English tests],” said Amsterdam Superintendent of Schools Ron Limoncelli.

“It’s really helping us, because we’re looking at the areas that our kids are not being successful, so now we begin to teach to that area.”

The state Education Department also released a list of 1,759 public schools that met all standards for English and math in the 2006-07 school year.

Included in that list are nine schools from the Shenendehowa Central School District, four schools from the Saratoga Springs City School District, and the Howe International Magnet School in Schenectady.

Although he said he was pleased with the recent improvement in Amsterdam schools, Limoncelli said that standardized testing and state and federal guidelines have forced teachers to focus on specific material that districts know will be tested.

“It’s unfortunate we’ve got to the point where we have to teach to the test instead of teaching for learning sake,” Limoncelli said. “Are we producing analytic thinkers or are we producing test takers?”

A full list of the high performing and rapidly improving schools across the state can be found at the state Education Department Web site at www.nysed.gov.

A look at some of the area’s large districts that include schools on a state list of rapidly improving schools, based on student performance in the 2006-07 school year:

SCHENECTADY CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT

*  Elmer Avenue Elementary School

*  Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Math Science Technology and Invention Magnet School

*  Hamilton Elementary School

*  Lincoln Elementary School

*  Paige Elementary School

*  Jessie T. Zoller School

*  Van Corlaer Elementary School

*  Woodlawn School

ALBANY CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT

*  Montessori Magnet School

*  Pine Hills Elementary School

*  Delaware Community School

*  North Albany Academy

*  Albany School Of Humanities

*  Giffen Memorial Elementary School

*  Arbor Hill Elementary School

*  Sheridan Preparatory Academy

GREATER AMSTERDAM SCHOOL DISTRICT

*  William H. Barkley Elementary

*  Marie Curie Institute of Engineering and Communications

*  Raphael J. McNulty Academy for International Studies and Literacy

Categories: Schenectady County