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Hastings trustees told Panorama SEL screener rollout failed; district sets firm windows for new year
Summary
District staff acknowledged inconsistent SEL data collection — especially low high-school participation — and set firm Panorama administration windows (Nov. 6, Feb. 5; seniors May 1; K–11 May 18) while promising steps to reach full participation and better data review procedures.
District administrators told the Hastings-on-Hudson Board of Education on Sept. 25 that the social-emotional Panorama screener had been administered inconsistently over recent years and that the district would fix the rollout this year.
“Last time you told us that the science teachers met as a group... this is really a road map,” Speaker 5 (Melissa Zemansky) said during a broader data presentation that included SEL screening plans. Melissa acknowledged gaps in administration and called last year’s reporting “a fail,” saying high-school participation had been especially weak. She described the screener as confidential (not anonymous) and explained that results are available to administrators and clinicians while the district works to improve building-level processes for teacher access and individual follow-up.
Melissa laid out specific administration windows the leadership team agreed on: Nov. 6 and Feb. 5 for districtwide administration, with seniors scheduled for May 1 and K–11 on May 18 to avoid overlap with state testing windows. She said the leadership team would set explicit dates and class periods so staff would administer the screener during class time and the district could reach a high participation rate.
Trustees and community members pushed for rapid improvement. One trustee said the lack of reliable SEL baseline data was “frustrating” during a national mental-health moment and urged a simple, mandatory class-period administration to reach all students. Students and trustees noted that if students lack a trusted adult, SEL reporting and follow-up will fail to surface problems.
Melissa also proposed a data-review cycle to ensure administrators and faculty have clear review checkpoints and to tie SEL data to interventions. She recommended focus groups and roundtables as supplementary qualitative measures while the screener’s administration stabilizes.
What happens next: The district scheduled Nov. 6 as the first administration window and committed to follow-up reporting; administrators said they would present a visual data-review cycle and share participation rates and follow-up procedures at upcoming meetings.
