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District outlines ELA rollout, assessment supports and use of research-based materials
Summary
Dr. Siegel presented the district's K–12 ELA plan, aligning curriculum and interventions to New York State’s Next Generation ELA standards and the State literacy initiative, and described HMH, StudySync and iReady use, literacy coaches, AIS services and goals for improved Regents and AP performance.
Dr. Siegel presented an overview of the Middle Country Central School District’s K–12 English language arts program, describing work to align classroom materials, assessments and teacher supports with the New York State Next Generation ELA standards and the State literacy initiative. "This year marks the culmination of this transition with the administration of the new next generation ELA standards aligned regents exam scheduled for this June," Dr. Siegel said, framing the district’s immediate priorities.
The presentation described district materials and supports at each level. At the elementary level the district uses HMH interreading modules for structured literacy lessons and uses iReady and other assessments to identify student needs. At middle schools the district has adopted StudySync units and digital tools to present complex, diverse texts and to foster critical thinking. At the high school level the district cited revised senior-level core courses and AP options, and said it is working to increase AP enrollment and success. Dr. Siegel said the department uses common reading assessments administered at multiple points in the year to monitor growth and to adjust instruction.
Dr. Siegel cited district coaching and intervention resources: "We have 3 elementary ELA literacy coaches, our HMH professional developer, and our amazing ELA committee members who provide targeted ongoing guidance," and described supplemental AIS services and ongoing professional development for literacy specialists. The presentation also noted the district’s use of instructional AI and digital tools (HMH and Gemini within the district Google suite) and an after-school AI collaborative for teachers.
Performance context was presented without raw statewide comparators for the most recent year (state data not yet available). Dr. Siegel said participation and the percentage of students scoring at higher levels have increased in most grades and that the department is focused on specific needs identified by data — especially vocabulary and students’ pacing on Regents exams. To address timing issues, the district plans longer testing blocks to improve student pacing during Regents exams.
The presentation closed with invitations to district events (a March 31 Humanities Expo at Newfield High School) and a summary of next steps: continued alignment to the New York State standards, targeted professional development and the use of assessment data to inform instruction.
The board did not take formal action on the presentation; members offered brief congratulatory remarks and no substantive policy change was announced.
