Ossining secondary leaders report gains on belonging and lay out teaching, scheduling and equity steps

Ossining — Administrators from the district’s secondary schools reported progress on the district’s long‑range plan at the Board of Education meeting May 7, describing stronger operational systems at the middle school, expanded teacher planning time, and a set of initiatives intended to improve instruction and student belonging.

The district said it is using four pillars in the long‑range plan — teaching and learning, relevant learning and student choice, culture of care, and family and community engagement — and that building‑level goals are tied to those pillars. Dr. Novart and other secondary presenters described two central instructional goals for this school year: sustaining operational systems so academic culture can grow, and increasing higher‑order thinking, academic discourse and feedback aligned to learning objectives.

What the schools reported: presenters described new scheduling moves (common planning time for sixth and seventh grade, an every‑other‑day model for eighth grade), a return to a dual‑language cohort model in sixth grade, and more protected planning for co‑teaching teams. The middle school team said it had worked with a scheduling consultant and will keep daily or near‑daily common planning time for core teachers; the presenters called that a “game changer” for collaborative instruction.

On belonging and student experience: the AMD (middle school) leadership said 53% of students responded favorably to a Panorama survey question about adult support at school, up from a lower baseline they reported in the fall. The presenters said staff and family surveys remain pending and that deeper disaggregated analysis will follow when final assessment and staff survey data are available. Administrators emphasized targeted programs that aim to increase belonging for newcomer multilingual learners and other prioritized groups, including partnerships with community organizations such as Growth Wellness and the Solidarity Project.

Cafeteria and supervision changes: presenters described increased adult supervision at lunch—one assistant principal on lunch duty, as many as six monitors and at least three security staff during lunch periods—and changes to lunch schedules that, they said, allow more students to get outside for recess. The presenters reported average recess lengths around 21 minutes for sixth‑ and seventh‑grade students and about 16½ minutes for eighth graders; average eating times were reported roughly 15.1 minutes for sixth grade, 16.5 minutes for seventh grade and about 20 minutes for eighth grade. The team said a consultant had described the middle school cafeteria as a strong model during a site visit.

Instructional strategies and AVID: the secondary teams described expanded professional learning communities (PLCs), the use of data protocols to target instruction, and an effort to expand AVID strategies (note‑taking, collaboration, and next year a greater emphasis on writing and reading strategies). The middle school said it will pilot an everyday AVID elective for up to 28 students in eighth grade and continue AVID “experience” electives for sixth and seventh grades.

Attendance, grading and supports: high‑school presenters outlined attendance initiatives — house assemblies, “whole‑sweeps” to move students to assigned areas, attendance letters, targeted conferences with house teams, a wellness day, security training focused on positive engagement, and a grading and attendance task force. Administrators said chronic absenteeism is multifaceted, including engagement, family stressors and mental‑health barriers; they said some students who miss school for family or seasonal work are eligible for New York State “major life event” exemptions from certain Regents requirements.

Language and literacy supports: the high school presented an ELA student‑profile project meant to track cohorts and identify students who need targeted supports ahead of the Regents exams. Presenters said new courses and screening tools are being added to support multilingual learners, including a Spanish home‑language arts course at the high school and plans to expand home‑language instruction to the middle school. The high school reported that 57 students currently qualify for the Seal of Biliteracy and said it expects that number to grow as programming expands.

Why it matters: district leaders tied these instructional and scheduling changes to the long‑range plan’s equity goals and said the work is intended to increase academic outcomes and student belonging. Administrators warned that full assessment results were not yet available; they said additional, disaggregated analysis would be shared in fall reporting and summer planning.

Statements and sources: the updates were delivered by AMD and Ossining High School administrative teams; superintendent Mary Fox Alter introduced the hearing and framed the work within the district’s long‑range plan. Dr. Novart reported the Panorama belonging figure and described scheduling and co‑teaching changes; Ossining High School principal Latoya Langley and other high‑school staff described attendance initiatives and the ELA profile work.

Next steps: presenters said they will complete final assessment analysis after spring exams, disaggregate the results by subgroup, continue PLC work, run summer retreats to set building goals, and return to the board with more detailed fall reporting.