Riverhead district outlines DCIP priorities and flags chronic absenteeism in report card presentation

Riverhead Central School District officials presented the district'wide District Comprehensive Improvement Plan and a summary of the district report card at the board of education meeting Tuesday, March 4, 2025. The presentation set priorities for three targeted schools and described state-linked supports and grant funding attached to improvement plans.

The DCIP presentation, led by Dr. Allen Baum and Dr. Gretchen Rodney, explained that Phillips Avenue, Roanoke Avenue and Riverhead Middle School are identified for additional state support and that federal and state resources are attached to each school's plan. "In addition to assisting us to create a plan, there are money attached to those plans," Rodney said, describing a Title I allocation the district reported as $525,000 this year and a distribution of that amount to district and school-level activities.

Why it matters: New York State identifies schools that need targeted, additional or comprehensive support and provides technical assistance and funding tied to improvement plans. District leaders said the DCIP and related funds are intended to raise student achievement, reduce chronic absenteeism and align instruction across grades.

Presentation highlights and priorities

- Targeted schools: Phillips Avenue, Roanoke Avenue and Riverhead Middle School were named as the focus of this year's DCIP work. Officials said the funds and planning focus for each school came from the state identification process. - Funding: The presenters said Title I funds for this plan total $525,000 for the year, allocated as $50,000 at the district level, $75,000 for Phillips Avenue, $250,000 for Roanoke and $150,000 for Riverhead Middle School. - School priorities: Phillips Avenue prioritized literacy and reducing chronic absenteeism through literacy blocks, parent workshops and attendance committees. Roanoke prioritized attendance and vertical/horizontal alignment of instruction through professional learning communities. Riverhead Middle School emphasized social-emotional learning (SEL), anti-bullying assemblies and academic supports including after-school programs and PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports).

Attendance and assessment data

Presenters highlighted chronic absenteeism as a major district concern. Officials described a multiyear chronic absenteeism rate near 26 percent and illustrated differences in median days absent for non-chronically absent students versus chronically absent students (presenters reported medians of about eight days versus 23 days, respectively). Dr. Baum said the district sees signs that chronic absenteeism may be improving in the current school year, and staff said they expect updated data in the coming weeks.

On assessments, presenters said roughly 71 percent of eligible students participated in the ELA and math state assessments in 2023'24, and approximately 25 percent of tested third-through-eighth graders met or exceeded grade-level expectations in ELA; slightly more than 25 percent were partially meeting expectations. Math and science results varied by grade; presenters noted stronger results in certain grades and subjects, and reminded the board that participation and scores are only one measure of student success.

Secondary achievement and other measures

Dr. Hernandez, presenting secondary and longitudinal measures, framed district results as a story of "resilience," noting that some students improve over multiple testing opportunities and that AP participation and outcomes are a relative strength (presenters said 95 percent of students enrolled in AP courses took the exam and about 60 percent of those earned scores of 3 or higher). Graduation and postsecondary outcomes were summarized: presenters reported that 28.7 percent of recent graduates enrolled in four-year colleges, 58 percent enrolled in two-year colleges and 13 percent entered the workforce.

Next steps and state review

District staff said the DCIP has been submitted to the state and the district is awaiting final approval. Stakeholders will continue to meet periodically to monitor implementation and to determine whether interventions are producing the intended gains.

"We have submitted our plan to the state, and we are awaiting that final approval," Baum said during the presentation.

Ending: District leaders said they will return to the board with updated attendance and assessment data as it becomes available and will continue stakeholder engagement while implementing the DCIP.