Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the K 12 Assessments topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Fulton board highlights gains in state assessments, district labeled 'targeted' for additional state support
Summary
Administrators told the Fulton City School District board that students showed year-to-year growth across grades 3–8 and strong Regents performance at the secondary level; the district was designated a "targeted" district because two schools met state thresholds that trigger additional support and planning.
Fulton City School District administrators on Tuesday presented 2024–25 state assessment results showing measurable cohort growth in third through eighth grades and strong performance by high-school students on Regents exams.
At a board meeting that ran through a multi-part presentation on academic performance, district staff said the district’s approach — aligned curricula, professional learning teams (PLTs) and cross-level scoring calibration — is producing gains even though many students enter kindergarten below county peers. “We have a very significant amount of growth in that area,” said Mister Sherman, who explained student growth percentiles (SGPs) and pointed to progress among students who began at level 1 and level 2.
Why it matters: the New York State ESSA accountability update released to the district shows two schools in the system reached levels that make Fulton a "targeted" district. Administrators said Volney remains a targeted school and Fairgrave moved to additional targeted support; that status requires a systemic needs assessment and district- and building-level plans. District staff told the board they will form a district-level team and building teams, conduct interviews and surveys between March and June, bring recommended plans back in June and begin implementation in September.
What the data showed: presenters described Regents ELA proficiency at the secondary level as well above the state average in recent administrations and noted that some science averages are affected by changes in state standards and by older exams taken under prior curricula. The district also reported county-leading year-to-year growth in the grade 5 and 8 science assessments after rollout of new investigations and lab-based components.
On growth measures, Sherman explained that SGPs compare continuously enrolled students with peers statewide who began at the same achievement level. “If you’ve achieved a 50 SGP, that means you have achieved the same growth as half of the rest of the state at that same level,” he said, emphasizing that growth for level 1 and 2 students has been especially notable even where proficiency classifications remain below district targets.
Board member questions focused on peer comparisons and subgroup analysis; Sherman said the state does not permit public release of finely matched peer-group comparisons but suggested the district’s Regional Information Center (RIC) can help analyze subgroup trends. Administrators also pointed to curriculum moves — such as adding Eureka math and refining K–12 literacy strategies tied to the science of reading — and earlier interventions (UPK expansion, family literacy events) as contributing factors to improvement.
Next steps: administrators said they will write needs assessments and proposed plans between March and June, return them for board approval in June and begin implementation in September. The district will also monitor SGPs to refine Tier 1 instruction for students at levels 3 and 4, where Sherman said additional work remains.
Votes at a glance: while most of the presentation was informational, the board approved routine agenda items and consent motions later in the meeting (financials, donations and personnel items); those votes are recorded in meeting minutes and in the board packet.
The district posted detailed slides and the accountability notice on its website and sent parent communications via ParentSquare, administrators said.
