State Education Department honors five district schools for achievement, 'closing the gap'

Four district elementary schools have been named “rapidly improving" schools by the New York State Education Department, and another was recognized as a “high performing/gap closing” school, an indication that the district's efforts to increase student performance and close the achievement gap are paying off.

The rapidly improving schools are Delaware Community School, Montessori Magnet School, Pine Hills Elementary School and Thomas O’Brien Academy of Science and Technology (TOAST). Albany School of Humanities was named a high performing/gap closing school for the second year in a row for its performance in English and math for each of the previous three years.

The rapidly improving distinction -- earned by Delaware Community School (formerly School 18), Pine Hills Elementary School (formerly School 16), Montessori Magnet School, and TOAST -- belongs to schools which met their state performance benchmarks in English, math and or science during each of the past three years and improved their performance in areas where they were below state standards. Only 226 schools statewide earned the rapidly improving honor.

“Your entire school community has earned this distinction,” New York State Education Department Commissioner Richard Mills wrote to schools that were honored. “We encourage you to celebrate your achievement and to continue implementing strategies supporting your school’s improvement.”

City School District of Albany Superintendent Eva Joseph credited the students and staff at each school for making this significant accomplishment possible. She said that the district places a strong emphasis on quality teaching, a strong literacy foundation through initiatives such as Reading Recovery and the nationally renowned Writing Workshop Program from Teachers College at Columbia University, the nationally recognized elementary Math Trailblazers curriculum, and a strong science curriculum.

“It is with great pleasure and pride that I congratulate the students and staff at each of these schools for their hard work and these fine accomplishments,” Dr. Joseph said. “Closing the achievement gap is the stated goal of our district, and we have worked and will continue to work aggressively toward doing so. To be honored with such distinctions as ‘rapidly approving’ and ‘high performing/gap closing’ show not only that our efforts are paying off, but that greater achievement is on the horizon.”

In addition to Albany School of Humanities, School 19 and School 16 (now Pine Hills Elementary School) were named “high performing/gap closing” schools in the spring of 2006. At that time, Arbor Hill Elementary School was named one of 71 “rapidly improving” schools in the state.