Southside High presents 2024–25 results; board presses on dip in advanced‑Regents and mastery rates

Southside High School administrators presented a detailed review of 2024–25 academic results at the Rockville Centre Board of Education meeting on Dec. 11, emphasizing strong diploma and college‑credit participation while acknowledging areas requiring attention.

Dr. Walsh, the high‑school presenter, said the class of 2025 graduated with a 98% Regents diploma rate and an advanced‑Regents diploma rate of 77% and told the board he expects the advanced‑Regents rate to "bounce back into the mid to low eighties" next year. He framed the dip as influenced by a small cohort size and student mobility: "The class of 2025 was a small class… anytime you have a small group… small numbers of students move certain percentages," he said.

Why it matters: the advanced‑Regents designation is a district priority because it signals completion of accelerated coursework. Board members pressed administrators on whether the decline reflects instruction, student burnout or cohort‑specific factors and asked for follow‑up data.

Key presentation points - Participation and outcomes: Dr. Walsh highlighted broad participation in elective Regents and AP/dual‑enrollment programs and said Southside’s students outperform Nassau County averages on many exams when participation is factored in. He noted that 86% of the class of 2025 finished with one or more college‑level classes and that dual‑enrollment offerings grew from 10 to 25 courses. - Mastery and intervention: Dr. Walsh acknowledged lower mastery rates in some advanced math and science exams and said increased participation can depress mastery percentages. He described concrete instructional changes — earlier midterms, gap‑report–driven professional learning and a Writing Revolution rollout — intended to raise mastery. - IB program: Andrea Darby, assistant principal and IB coordinator, said 21% of the class earned the IB diploma last year with a 61% success rate among diploma candidates and that 40% of the next graduating class had registered as full diploma candidates. She described open access to IB coursework and subject‑level results (for example, an average of 4.14 in higher‑level English).

Board questions and follow up Unidentified board members queried whether cohort size, transfers and student mental‑health/workload affected advanced‑designation rates. Dr. Walsh cited higher transfer counts and late arrivals to the district as factors that sometimes make it impractical to require additional Regents exams for students who enter late. On algebra and mastery, administrators said they will consult math teachers and continue to use gap reports to target support.

What the board asked for next: more disaggregated data on transfers and economically disadvantaged students in the cohort, deeper analysis of mastery rates in advanced math and science, and exploration of additional dual‑enrollment pathways (for example, US history/government courses) to broaden access to college credit.

The presentation closed with the board and administrators agreeing to continue monitoring the numbers and to return with further detail; no policy or program changes were adopted at the meeting.