Parents, students press Niskayuna board over math acceleration changes and AP wait lists

Parents and students told the Niskayuna Central School District Board of Education on July 1 that recent changes to elementary and middle‑school math acceleration, and long wait lists for advanced high‑school classes, risk limiting opportunities for students.

At the meeting, several parents described the district’s decision to remove a stand‑alone fifth‑grade accelerated class known as “5A” and to convert middle‑school double‑acceleration into a credit‑by‑exam pathway that places the onus on families to secure outside instruction. Jenny Lewis, a parent who asked the board to read her written remarks, said, “My incoming fifth grader is very disappointed that he will no longer have the opportunity to take the next year,” and asked the district to share the data and rationale…