Southside Middle School reports rising participation, higher regents mastery and targeted instructional plan

Southside Middle School administrators reported notable increases in state assessment participation and stronger proficiency rates during the Rockville Centre Union Free School District Board of Education meeting on Nov. 6.

"Our ultimate goal is clear, to ensure every student is supported in discovering their unique strengths and interests," said Maria LaSourcin, a middle school administrator, as she opened the school's data presentation. The team described a multi-source approach to assessment that combines New York State test results, NWEA (MAP) scores, teacher gap reports, item analysis and constructed-response reviews.

The presentation showed rising participation on the New York State English language arts and math assessments since 2021. Grade 6 ELA participation rose from 39% in 2021 to 71% in 2025; Grade 6 math participation rose from 39% to 73% over the same period. Administrators said they continue to encourage full participation so the district can gather a representative sample of data.

Administrators highlighted strong performance in mathematics: "Grade 6 achieving 81% proficiency and grade 7 achieving 78% proficiency," LaSourcin reported, noting that those rates exceeded the regional benchmarks. The school also cited high passing and mastery rates on Regents examinations: algebra I passing rates ranged from 94% to 96% across recent years, and earth science passing reached 91% in 2025 with a mastery rate that increased to 68%.

"This focused strategy allows us to ensure our instructional delivery is precise and supports our overall goal of excellence," LaSourcin said, describing curricular revisions and data-driven instruction as contributors to the improvements.

Administrators outlined a building-level action plan to sustain gains: expand book clubs and the Writing Revolution strategies across grades; provide targeted practice on constructed-response questions; revise the Grade 8 math curriculum; and integrate inquiry- and phenomenon-based instruction aligned to the New York State science learning standards. The team also emphasized professional learning, co-teaching, and redeploying staff so more students access the general-education curriculum.

Board members asked detailed questions about what appeared to be a persistent plateau in Grade 7 ELA proficiency and about the effect of algebra co-teaching and Regents review offerings. "One of the things that comes over overwhelmingly from the students ... is ‘I'm not afraid to ask questions now,’" said a presenter, describing student feedback on co-taught classes in algebra.

Administrators said interventions that appear to be helping include wider use of book clubs, explicit instruction in constructed responses, Writing Revolution strategies, Hockman training for writing and a greater collaboration between general-education and special-education teachers within teams.

Superintendent Mr. Gavin and board members praised teachers and staff for the gains and asked administrators to return with further details on program attendance and how middle-school interventions scaffold work for high school courses.

The presentation underscored the district's use of multiple assessment sources — state assessments, NWEA MAP scores, local classroom work and teacher analyses — to inform instruction and adjust curriculum with the goal of steady improvement.