All Port Jervis
Schools Now In Good Standing
Middle School removed from In
Need of Improvement List
POSTED: SEPTEMBER 1, 2009
Port Jervis School
District Superintendent John Xanthis announced today that all
Port Jervis schools are now in good standing. The announcement
at today’s Superintendent’s Day Conference comes one week after
the New York State Department of Education released Port Jervis
Middle School from the Title I “In Need of Improvement” list.
|
Educational initiatives
that are making a difference In our schools
•
Developed
curriculum maps that spell out what will be taught each
month by all teachers. Ensures alignment of curriculum
between grade levels.
•
Conducted data
analysis to evaluate strengths and weaknesses on state
exams, then adjusted curriculum maps accordingly. This
information allows teachers to tailor instruction to
meet student needs.
•
Added AIS
(remedial) staff to help under-performing students catch
up by evaluating their strengths and weaknesses on state
exams, and adjusting instruction accordingly.
•
Significant
increase in teacher training. Staff development programs
are now tailored to address gaps in student learning.
•
Added full-day
kindergarten in September 2006.
•
New elementary textbooks in math, reading and social
studies were adopted. New science books are coming in
September 2009.
•
Engaged students in the learning process by providing
unprecedented access to classroom computers, web-based
educational programs, laptops, upgraded computer labs,
Smartboards, and other technology.
•
New educational software programs were introduced to
help students improve their basic skills and allow
teachers to assess their progress in order to tailor
lessons to meet their individual needs. Study Island,
Castle Learning and STAR Reading are all web-based so
students can access the learning programs from their
classroom, library, or home computer.
|
Port Jervis Middle
School is one of 197 schools statewide that was removed from the
improvement list because it met the federal No Child Left Behind
standards in all areas for two consecutive years.
The Middle School was placed on the “improvement-needed” list in
2005 because students with disabilities failed to make adequate
yearly progress (AYP) in mathematics and English-Language Arts.
“This is the first year since the No Child Left Behind (NCLB)
legislation was enacted in 2002 that all Port Jervis schools are
in good standing and none of our subgroups are on any
improvement-needed list,” said Xanthis.
Thanking the employees who packed into the High School
auditorium for the start of the day-long professional
development conference, Xanthis said, “You should all be proud
of this accomplishment. Everyone in the district – from our
school board members, administrators, teachers and staff to our
parents and students – has worked together to turn our
schools around.”
Xanthis admits that there have been challenges along the way.
“Seven years ago when the state issued its first performance
rankings, Port Jervis was deficient in numerous areas,” he
noted. “Little by little, with the support of our community, we
have been able to improve our educational programs and services.
Focusing on literacy, the district rewrote its curriculum,
purchased new textbooks, increased teacher training, added more
remedial staff, and provided students with an unprecedented
access to educational technology.
These efforts paid off. Student test scores in all academic
areas improved steadily. Graduation and attendance rates
improved. And, the district gradually worked its way off the
improvement lists.
In 2008, Port Jervis High School earned its way off the
Corrective Action list by making AYP in mathematics for two
years. The same year, Port Jervis was removed from the District
In Need of Improvement List.
At the elementary level – where the scores on the passing rate
on the math tests rose by nearly 25 percent – both Anna S. Kuhl
Elementary School and Hamilton Bicentennial Elementary School
have been recognized as high performing schools.
|
