Brentwood presenter outlines "Graduation Plus" K-12 vision, cites test gains and staffing needs

Stacy Verde, assistant superintendent of elementary education for the BRENTWOOD UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT, told the Board of Education on Feb. 5 that the district's "Graduation Plus" vision starts in elementary school and combines rigorous Tier 1 instruction with targeted interventions to boost long-term student success.

"Graduation Plus is not only about graduation. It's a K through 12 vision focused on developing students' strengths, agency, and readiness for future opportunities," Verde said, describing classroom instruction, social-emotional learning and meaningful projects as the foundation of the strategy.

Verde outlined the district's multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS), saying the district has focused on consistent core instruction across elementary schools and has adopted new curricular frameworks in reading and mathematics. She said Brentwood is in year three of its structured-literacy/reading rollout and year one of the HMH Into Math program, steps she called central to building early reading and math proficiency.

To identify needs and track progress, Verde said the district uses universal screening and common assessments (i-Ready and benchmark measures) and is monitoring students at Tiers 1 and 2 with rapid progress monitoring tools such as EZ CBM. "We are closely monitoring our students at tiers 1 and 2 and adjusting their instruction proactively to prevent gaps," she said.

The presentation listed several intervention tools and purchases for Tier 3 supports, including Dante systems, Spire and other literacy interventions, and described small-group intervention sessions of 30 to 40 minutes four times weekly coordinated with Special Education staff.

Verde also described behavioral supports under a PBIS framework and said the district has expanded PBIS training to include UPK bus drivers. She said behavioral challenges and out-of-school suspensions have decreased "by about 40% since last year." "When core instruction is strong and consistent, fewer students need intervention and all students benefit," she said.

Describing extended-day supports, Verde said the district operates high-dosage tutoring with 136 teachers serving 408 students in small groups, more than 60 clubs, Saturday academies for grades 3'5 and a Lehi Academy for grades 5'6. She noted many of those programs are currently grant-funded and that several grants are due to expire this year.

On early childhood, Verde said UPK serves 679 students across five community-based partners (Shepherd's Gate, Family Service League, Head Start, MDQ and a nursery school) and that all UPK settings use a shared curriculum called "3 Cheers for Pre-K" to align transitions to kindergarten.

Verde pointed to recent state assessment results as evidence of systemwide progress: a 7.6-point increase in ELA proficiency (from 24.8% to 32.4%) and a 3-point increase in mathematics, with participation rates she said exceeded regional averages (ELA participation 82.4%; Long Island average 65.3%; math participation 77.9% vs. Long Island 61.3%). "All of our elementary schools are in good standing," she said.

Verde reviewed staffing gains and upcoming needs: 25 ICT classes (up from 10), eight full-time board-certified behavior analysts (up from five), 36 full-time interventionists across 11 elementary schools (an increase of five), 12.5 psychologists (up 1.5), 10 school counselors and 10 social workers, among other increases. For the 2026-27 staffing plan she reported 13 general-education retirements (nine general education teachers and four in grade 6) with 11 replacements planned (a net change of minus two). She requested one additional school counselor, one additional social worker and, if feasible, more reading and math interventionists to provide full-time coverage across the district's 11 elementary schools.

Verde gave families registration timelines: UPK registration is scheduled April 13 through June 5; kindergarten registration began Jan. 20 and runs through March 24.

Board members and district leaders responded with praise and appreciation for the progress Verde described. The workshop concluded after a procedural motion. Moderator asked for a motion to close the workshop; the chair recorded a motion by Julie Burgos, second by Cindy Safiri and announced the motion carried.

Next steps: the presentation was informational in the budget workshop sequence; board members indicated there are additional department presentations to come in this workshop series.