Heading into the new school year, a number of local districts have schools in less-than-good standing on a state accountability list.
That list labels some schools as priority, focus or local assistance plan schools — in descending order of seriousness. It also names some districts as focus districts based on scores on state English language arts and mathematics testing for grades three through eight, participation rates on testing and graduation rates.
These districts and schools are subject to extra review, might have to submit improvement plans and could qualify for extra funding.
Officials from all six affected local districts said they believe they're doing a good job and their schools constantly are improving.
But some administrators questioned the fairness of the list, especially given the large number of students whose families refuse to let their children take state tests. Three schools in Rome have been placed on the local assistance plan list for a second year, and Superintendent Peter Blake blamed their low participation rates on state testing.
Superintendents Christine Reynolds of Dolgeville Central School District, Robert Miller of Herkimer Central School District and Anael Alston of Hamilton Central School District, all agreed that students who opt out of tests have hurt their schools. Schools are judged partially on participation rates. And opt-outs can hurt performance levels if students who do better on standardized tests are more likely to opt out of them, some superintendents noted.
The Utica City School District, labeled a focus district with a priority school and six focus schools, wants to see the test results so it can better target its interventions.
But that data isn't available yet. Test scores will be released later this month, later than last year because state testing in math took place three weeks later this year, according to the state Department of Education.
"I think the district is doing well as a whole," Eccleston said, noting that several district schools have moved into good standing in recent years.
"We've really made some real, positive gains." she said.
She said she expects to see Kernan Elementary School, a priority school, move up the list soon.
On top of testing participation issues, Alston believes his district's designation doesn't fairly reflect the district and its high graduation rate.
But the district's focus is on moving students through all 12 grades and graduation, not just on elementary and middle-school testing, he said. And the district's graduation rate for economically disadvantaged students is 90 percent, higher than the overall state graduation rate of 78 percent and only slightly lower than the district's overall graduation rate of 94 percent, Alston said.
The district has responded to the label with professional development, an after-school tutorial for economically disadvantaged students (that is open to others) and, starting this fall, a data dashboard to help teachers monitor students' progress, Alston said.
Like other superintendents, Blake urged parents to let their children take state assessments, arguing that a lot has changed since the opt-out movement began several years ago. And taking the tests helps children prepare for all the assessments they're going to face in the future, he said.
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