Byram Hills science chair summarizes Tri‑State review, outlines curriculum changes for new state exams

Byram Hills science chair Deb Kaye told the Board of Education on March 4 that a Tri‑State Consortium review of the district’s science program praised teachers’ work and recommended more systemwide performance‑based assessments to match New York’s new three‑dimensional science standards (referred to in the meeting as NSSLIS). "I am extremely proud to be part of such a terrific department," Kaye said.

The Tri‑State Consortium, a peer review network of roughly 50–60 high‑performing districts, visited the district in November after the department completed a two‑year self study. The visiting team met with students, teachers, parents and administrators and issued a written report in the board packet. Kaye summarized the report’s commendations and recommendations and described next steps the department will take over the coming two years.

Why it matters: New York is phasing in revised high‑school Regents exams that incorporate three‑dimensional engagement—disciplinary core ideas, science and engineering practices, and crosscutting concepts—alongside investigations. Kaye said the district will administer new life‑science (biology) and Earth and space science Regents under that framework this year and must ensure students can produce "gapless explanations"—evidence‑based claims that meet grade‑level performance descriptors.

What the district will do: Kaye said department priorities include creating district storylines centered on phenomena, designing performance‑based assessments with common rubrics tied to state performance level descriptors, strengthening links between concepts and real‑world applications, and improving how the district communicates the shifts to parents. The presentation named several concrete steps: (1) develop consistent rubrics and progression measures from sixth through 12th grade; (2) expand interdisciplinary projects and performance assessments; and (3) use an assessment platform, InnerOrbit, to collect three‑dimensional questions and track student growth across grades.

Kaye described the Tri‑State visit as both a celebration and a critique: the review team commended that students and teachers already use the new vocabulary and that the district offers extensive opportunities—many students take more than the state‑required three credits in high‑school science, and nearly half the students take five courses. The review also highlighted the district’s science‑research program as a model for metacognition and sustained inquiry.

Board members asked whether the shifts would disadvantage students preparing for AP courses. Kaye and other administrators said AP assessments have been moving toward claims‑evidence‑reasoning formats and that the district’s approach aims to prepare students for both project‑based three‑dimensional work and traditional college test demands.

Kaye said Tri‑State will return in two years to review progress on the recommendations and that the district will hold teachers’ professional development, develop performance tasks, and provide parent outreach in the interim. "We were really impressed that a group of strangers that only came in for three days was able to capture that," Kaye said of the Tri‑State report.

Ending: The board packet contains the Tri‑State report and the department’s self‑study evidence; Kaye said the department will report back on implementation milestones when the consortium returns in roughly two years.