A message from Superintendent Kaweeda G. Adams
As we come to the end of the first week of our cancellation of classes due to COVID-19, I want to acknowledge that we recognize that this is a difficult time for all of us.
The rapid spread of this disease to our country, our state and our region has put all of us, including all public school districts statewide, into uncharted territory. Preparing to deliver instruction and critical services to more than 10,000 regular education and special education students without the benefit of our normal school environments, in a district as diverse as ours, and in a community in which the digital divide has been measured at as much as 40% of our city’s population, is a significant challenge.
However, it is a challenge that the City School District of Albany is up to and continues to address on a daily basis. Please visit our From the Superintendent section to read this entire message.
State suspends 3-8 exams
The State Education Department announced Friday that all statewide exams for students in elementary and middle school have been suspended for the rest of the 2019-20 school year.
Exams that the state has suspended are:
- Grades 3-8 English Language Arts Tests
- Grades 3-8 Mathematics Tests
- Grade 4 Elementary-Level Science Test
- Grade 8 Intermediate-Level Science Test
- Grades K-12 English as a Second Language Achievement Test (NYSESLAT)
- Alternate Assessment for students with severe cognitive disabilities in Grades 3-8 and high school
“It is most important that during the time of closure, schools be able to continue to focus their efforts toward local school and community needs and not have to be concerned about preparing for state assessments,” Board of Regents Chancellor Betty A. Rose and Interim Education Commissioner Shannon L. Tahoe said in a joint statement.
AP updates from College Board
College Board announced a range of resources and updates Friday to support students enrolled in AP courses nationwide. That information includes:
- Free remote learning resources
- Ongoing development of a new at-home testing option – traditional face-to-face exam administrations will not take place
- There will be two different testing dates for each AP subject
The full AP exam schedule, specific free-response question types that will be on each exam, and additional testing details will be available by April 3. For more information, please visit College Board’s AP Central.
Meal program to add home delivery option
To help more families participate in the daily meals program while classes are cancelled, the City School District of Albany is adding a home delivery option alongside the ongoing pickup option at six district schools.
Families can fill out our online registration form or call our Transportation Department at (518) 475-6170 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday through Friday to register to have breakfast and lunch dropped off at home each weekday. Registrations must be received by 11 a.m. the day before delivery. For example, all families registered by 11 a.m. Monday will be included in Tuesday’s delivery.
Please note that we are asking you to provide the name of each child who will be receiving meals as well as the school each child attends.
Families also can continue to take advantage of the meal pickup option at our six school locations each day from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Those locations are:
- Albany High School (Washington Avenue entrance), 700 Washington Ave.
- Albany School of Humanities (ASH), 108 Whitehall Road
- Arbor Hill Elementary School, 1 Arbor Drive
- Giffen Memorial Elementary School, 274 South Pearl St.
- Tony Clement Center for Education, 395 Elk St.
- William S. Hackett Middle School, 45 Delaware Ave.
YMCA childcare partnership
The district is partnering with the YMCA to offer childcare services for health and emergency-response personnel beginning Monday. The YMCA will administer and staff the program, which will operate from 7 a.m.-6 p.m. daily at the following six schools:
- Arbor Hill Elementary School, 1 Arbor Drive
- Eagle Point Elementary School, 1044 Western Ave.
- Giffen Memorial Elementary School, 274 South Pearl St.
- New Scotland Elementary School, 369 New Scotland Ave.
- Schuyler Achievement Academy, 676 Clinton Ave.
- Sheridan Preparatory Academy, 400 Sheridan Ave.
The program will have a limited capacity, with a maximum of 30 children per school (three classrooms with 10 children). The YMCA will staff each room with two employees.
Online registration is available. Health and emergency personnel needing childcare are also welcome to call the YMCA at (518) 869-3500.
