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Hyde Park district details improvement plan after Ralph R. Smith flagged for targeted support
Summary
District staff presented a district and school comprehensive improvement plan focused on literacy, MTSS and expanded out-of-school supports after Ralph R. Smith was identified under New York States accountability system for targeted support tied to students with disabilities.
District staff presented a multi-year improvement plan Monday evening after Ralph R. Smith Elementary was identified under New York States accountability system as a targeted support and improvement (TSI) school for the students-with-disabilities subgroup.
The presentation, led by Miss Turner and Principal Darling and reviewed during the Board of Education meeting, laid out recent assessment data, short-term targets and three primary strategies the district will use next year: adopting and coaching on high-quality literacy materials, expanding structured before-school enrichment, and strengthening the districts multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) and PBIS work.
District staff said the schools third-grade proficiency in English language arts stood at 28 percent (64 of 227 students). Within that third-grade group, 41 students were identified as students with disabilities and only one of those students was proficient on the state assessment, the presenters said. District assessment results from NWEA MAPS showed a districtwide gain in reading from about the 30th to the 40th percentile year over year; the students-with-disabilities subgroup improved from roughly the 9th to the 13th percentile.
Why it matters: identification as a TSI school brings additional scrutiny and requires a school- and district-level corrective plan tied to measurable goals. Miss Turner told the board the district set explicit targets for next year: a 1020to1515 percentage-point increase in third-grade proficiency and a 5 percentage-point increase in other grades, with regular interim monitoring.
Key measures and strategies - Curriculum and coaching: Staff said the district has begun phonics work this year with UFLY and is preparing for wider literacy curriculum implementation next year with additional professional development and embedded coaching through HMH. - Before-school enrichment: The district proposes a 12-week, before-school enrichment block that would provide about one additional hour per week of small-group reading instruction. The plan described six sections (one per elementary grade level) staffed by interested teachers; success metrics would include daily attendance for enrolled students and comparative growth against nonparticipants. - MTSS and PBIS expansion: Ralph R. Smith will continue PBIS initiatives (assemblies, rewarded behavior systems such as HootLoot cards) and expand data-driven MTSS supports, with an emphasis on reducing suspensions and increasing positive referrals and student belonging/perception survey results.
Data approach and monitoring: Trustees were told the district will use NWEA MAPS and local benchmarks throughout the year for frequent monitoring and to guide coaching or intervention adjustments. Presenters emphasized cohort tracking (following the same group of students across grades) rather than only comparing year-to-year grade-level percents.
State accountability changes and timeline: Staff reminded the board that the state accountability system is being revised. The minimum subgroup N-size used for accountability has been lowered from 30 to 20, fifth-grade science will return to elementary accountability, social studies will reappear at the high school level, and other indicators such as college/career readiness and civic readiness are being reintroduced. District staff said preliminary test results are typically available late August, official designations are usually announced in November and become shareable publicly around January.
Board questions focused on cohort interpretation, how the MAPS percentiles related to state results, and specifics of supports for students with disabilities. Presenters acknowledged the need for targeted coaching and additional resources for that subgroup and said HMH coaching and tailored supports at Ralph R. Smith would be prioritized.
Next steps: The district-level plan will support the school plan through aligned professional learning communities, continued expansion of authentic assessments, and a multi-year MTSS rollout. Staff said they will return to the board with progress updates tied to interim MAPS benchmarks and other monitoring measures.
