 Contact InformationAnthony J. Day
Assistant Superintendent for Instruction
(716) 250-1422
“Every student proficient in every subject. Great teaching every day in every classroom.” These simple statements reflect Sweet Home’s vision for our students and our schools. As a district, we continue to monitor our progress and take steps toward achieving this worthy goal.
All Schools in Good Standing… The New York State Education Department released an early look at school accountability reports to school districts last week. These reports, based on final data from the 2007-08 school year, provide a snapshot of student achievement on state assessments in Math, English Language Arts and Science. They also provide the official status of the school in relation to key targets established by the No Child Left Behind Act. We are happy to report that each school in our District will be in “good standing” for the coming school year. Achieving this status grows increasingly difficult as the targets for achievement increase each year and the performance of subgroups of students, such as those with disabilities, is held to the same standard as that of all students.
We are pleased and proud of the hard work of students and all the adults who support them in achieving this status. We are especially proud of the Middle School staff and students that met the challenge of raising student learning and achievement to meet the accountability standards of No Child Left Behind and regain the “good standing” designation.
Longer Elementary School Day… Last month, the Board of Education approved a new contractual agreement with the teacher’s association. The agreement includes a provision to extend the school day for our elementary children by 30 minutes, beginning in September 2009. This extra half-hour will prove extremely valuable in providing additional daily time for literacy and math instruction. The time will also allow greater flexibility to schedule personnel needed to support at-risk learners as well as those that are achieving at high levels. This extra time will be a great asset for our teachers and kids and help us continue to work toward our vision of excellence for all students. Response to Intervention… The New York State Education Department has established a timetable for school districts to establish a means of monitoring the
progress of all students in literacy and mathematics. Additional requirements will focus on gauging the progress of all students receiving intervention services to determine how each is responding to the intervention. This system is designed to help ensure that each child’s progress is carefully monitored and to avoid unnecessary referrals to special education. Last month, Sweet Home hosted a meeting of the Erie 1 BOCES IDAB group. These countywide district instructional leaders heard a presentation from a group of our teachers and administrators on the Sweet Home system for collecting and responding to reading data. The Sweet Home system is a well-respected model of an effective Response to Intervention model which has helps us improve learning for all students and greatly reduce the number of students performing at the very lowest level on NYS assessments.
Senior English Redesign… The High School English Language Arts department and administration presented a slate of new course offerings for Board of Education approval last month. Currently, seniors may freely choose from a number of electives to fulfill senior English requirements. Beginning next year, seniors will still have a choice, but only among a set of courses designed to prepare them for life beyond high school. The three new courses- Writing and Thinking, Introduction to Literature, and Mass Mediaare all affiliated with Niagara University and are eligible for college credit. Technical Reading and Writing, College Preparatory Reading, College Preparatory Writing, Mass Media, and Advanced Placement English are the other courses from which students may choose to fulfill graduation requirements. While other courses are
available as electives, the decision to narrow the choices fulfilling senior year credit recognizes the need of all graduating students to continue their learning, the specific skill set needed for success in those endeavors and the high school’s commitment to prepare them for that end. Unit Redesign Initiative… Six years ago, Sweet Home set out on a journey to facilitate the development of a Professional Learning Community. This organizational goal sought to create a culture in which real teamwork is used to improve the learning of all children would be a system-wide norm. Our recently completed Superintendent’s Conference Day continued that effort and provided the time needed for our teacher teams to complete or nearly complete their “re-designed” units. There are some wonderful student tasks that will come of this endeavor - rich tasks requiring application, high levels of thought and deep understanding of content.
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