Port Jervis High School principals cite gains in ELA, lower suspensions and MTSS expansion
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Summary
High‑school leaders reported an 89% ELA Regents proficiency rate (14 points above the state) and a 30% drop in student tardies, attributing gains to MTSS interventions, PLC collaboration and targeted literacy programs; administrators described plans to scale interventions and pilot an AI‑driven family communication tool.
Port Jervis High School principals Anthony Lazaro, David Marr and Heidi Nylund presented a data‑driven update on student outcomes and interventions, saying coordinated MTSS (multi‑tiered system of supports), professional learning communities (PLCs) and targeted literacy programs are producing measurable gains.
David Marr highlighted assessment improvements and some of the protocols that led to results: “You’ll notice a significant decline in suspensions and office referrals overall,” he said, and added that the school’s ELA Regents results were 14 percentage points higher than the state average for the same administration. The presentation reported an 89% proficiency rate on the ELA Regents.
Principals described tiered literacy supports: a tier 1.5 strategic reading and writing course for students about two years below grade level, tier 2 group interventions such as the Just Words program, and tier 3 intensive structured literacy (the OG program) for students with the most significant deficits. Lazaro cited concrete gains for students on IEPs, noting that many earned Regents credit following the interventions.
The high school also described an enrollment and ownership system designed to boost student agency: every student will set goals via a Google form, receive follow‑ups with counselors when needed, and be progress‑monitored at key checkpoints (week 3 and week 7) with report periods aligned to week 10. Lazaro said the building’s “guiding coalition” — a 22‑member team representing district stakeholders — will support scaling of the work.
Administrators also reported improvements in behavior metrics and attendance: “Student tardies are down 30%,” Marr said, and staff credited that change with reclaiming instructional time. The school plans to pilot an AI‑driven family‑communication platform (EDF) to improve outreach and workflow.
What comes next: the principals said they will continue to expand literacy interventions, schedule a literacy lab and train additional staff to deliver tiered instruction. Board members asked whether scaling constraints were money, personnel or time; presenters said time and sustaining practice were the primary limitations.