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Menands superintendent reports notable gains in elementary ELA, outlines curriculum and intervention steps
Summary
The superintendent presented 2025 state assessment results, saying elementary ELA proficiency rose substantially and science scores improved after state test refinements; administrators tied gains to recent curriculum adoption, coaching and targeted interventions and proposed next steps for middle-school alignment.
The Menands Union Free School District’s superintendent presented 2025 New York State assessment results and a review of district curriculum implementation, telling the board the elementary grades showed "meaningful increases," particularly in ELA and fifth-grade science.
At the January meeting the superintendent said third-grade proficiency rose sharply, noting cohort movement and changes between performance levels: "Third grade proficiency increased by 23% from last year," she told the board, and she said the district saw growth from level‑1 students into level‑2 and from level‑2 into level‑3 across several elementary cohorts. She credited teacher practices, coaching and the district’s recent core curriculum implementation for some of the gains.
The presentation combined two views of the data: cohort-level growth (tracking the same students over time) and year‑to‑year snapshots by grade. Administrators said they limited eighth‑grade reporting where very small student counts made percentage changes unreliable and that they compared local results with demographically similar neighboring schools (Rosendale and Blue Creek) rather than broad statewide averages to make the comparisons more meaningful.
Math results were more mixed: the superintendent reported modest growth in some cohorts (for example, rising 4→5 proficiency in certain grades) and stability in others, and she emphasized the district needs a stronger math intervention system. The administration noted that Eureka math has been implemented for grades K–6 this year and said they will evaluate impact after a full year of implementation.
On science, the presenter said fifth‑grade proficiency rose substantially after the state refined the new test: she reported an increase from roughly 35% to 56% and attributed part of the improvement to test adjustments made after teacher feedback.
The district outlined next steps that included deeper curriculum review for middle‑school ELA, targeted intervention planning (refining the daily intervention block and AIS usage), and continued professional development and coaching to sustain gains. Administrators also committed to a follow‑up presentation that will break out subgroup and demographic analyses, and to piloting intervention tools (such as IRLA) in select grade teams before wider adoption.
The board asked for the methodology behind comparisons to neighboring districts to be footnoted in the minutes so public viewers could reconcile the presentation numbers with NYSED’s published figures.
The superintendent closed by calling the results "a testament to our teachers" and by asking the board to support continued curriculum alignment and targeted intervention work.
Next procedural step: administration said it will return with subgroup analyses and a plan for evaluating Eureka Math after a full year of implementation.
