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District outlines summer credit-recovery and regents supports as attendance lags
Summary
Board heard staff describe credit-recovery programs, boot camps and targeted summer programming for students behind on credits and regents exams; district reported 357 students currently identified as needing summer school to qualify for August graduation and emphasized chronic absenteeism as a major barrier.
District staff on May 13 detailed interventions aimed at helping students recover course credit and pass New York State regents exams, and urged stronger efforts to address chronic absenteeism that staff say is depressing outcomes.
Presenters said currently identified needs include 357 students who would require summer coursework to be on track for August graduation if they do not pass required exams. Staff described several recovery options: marking-period recovery during school breaks, online credit recovery, extended-day tutoring, Saturday programming and redesigned summer learning recovery. The district also ran an April recess "boot camp" that allowed 30 students districtwide to complete courses and reported that Monroe High School ran regents review sessions serving 200 students; Padilla High School logged 57 regents passes in January after focused schedule adjustments.
Dr. Ramos said the district is prioritizing twelfth graders with five credits or fewer for summer programs and is redesigning summer offerings based on student-level data. "If they make it through June, that's great. But if in case they don't, we need to be prepared to support them," she said. She added the district is adjusting schedules and cohort tracking to address gaps.
Board members and staff repeatedly connected attendance to achievement. Dr. Strickland noted this cohort is "the first group, post COVID that do not have special appeals," and said students must meet regents thresholds or fall into the state’s safe-harbor provisions to earn diplomas. Presenters said chronic absenteeism is highest at the high school level and urged attendance teams and family engagement strategies to increase daily attendance.
Commissioners asked for deeper school-level analysis to understand differences in on-track rates. Vice President Malloy requested a dive into ninth-grade comparisons among high schools to identify practices that produce better results; staff said network chiefs and principals share best practices, and that implementation of curriculum and project-based learning appears to correlate with engagement.
On homework policy, board members were told Board Policy 47-30 and its regulations establish recommended time frames by grade (examples cited in discussion: kindergarten ~15 minutes, primary grades 20–30 minutes, high school up to 150 minutes as a recommendation). Staff said schools may adapt within that regulatory framework and use extended-day programming for students who need support.
