Bear Road Elementary cites gains in cohort math and reading; board raises class-size concern

Bear Road Elementary staff told the North Syracuse Board of Education on Sept. 22 that the school will use a Multi-Tiered System of Supports framework to boost reading and math proficiency and reduce chronic absenteeism, and staff highlighted notable cohort growth in state assessments.

"We are hoping to reach our goals by implementing a multi tiered system of support," Olivia, principal of Bear Road Elementary, said during the presentation, describing plans to use grade-level collaborative time, small "win" groups and the district's AIS team for tiered interventions.

Why it matters: Bear Road set measurable targets for the school year using AIMSWEB and New York State assessments as benchmarks. Principal Olivia reported AIMSWEB spring 2025 math proficiency at 55% with a goal of 58% for 2025-26, and New York State math proficiency at 48% with a goal of 51%. For reading, AIMSWEB spring 2025 proficiency was 49% with a 52% goal; NYS ELA proficiency was 40% with a 43% target.

Staff also emphasized social-emotional learning tracking. "Our lowest SEL area is self-awareness," the Bear Road SEL lead said, adding the school's goal to raise self-awareness from 69% to 74% in the coming year. The presentation noted Tier 1 efforts such as the Positivity Project and a pilot of the CharacterStrong curriculum; Tier 2 and Tier 3 supports include small-group counseling and services from an on-site Liberty Resources therapist.

Board members praised cohort growth shown in longitudinal results presented by the school staff. During board discussion, a board member expressed strong concern about current class sizes at the elementary level, saying "24, 25 is not correct," and urged the district to avoid leaving classrooms that large when possible. Principal Olivia and staff described staff increases and program placements intended to address enrollment and special-education needs, noting that roughly 25% of the building's students now have individualized education programs.

Attendance and interventions were also discussed: Bear Road leaders set a building goal to reduce chronic absenteeism from 18% to 16% and described family outreach, teacher contact for attendance concerns and attendance recognition incentives.

The presentation closed with staff listing classroom and family engagement initiatives, including a restored family literacy night and classroom SEL lesson delivery of roughly 330 lessons by counseling staff in the previous year. There was no formal board vote tied to the presentation; the presentation served as an informational item in the BPT series.