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Brentwood board highlights year‑one progress of "Graduation Plus" and honors top students
Summary
The board heard a year‑one progress presentation on Graduation Plus from Dr. Vincent Leone and recognized top 10 seniors from Ross and Sanderling; staff reported expanded dual credit, CTE and performance‑based regents exemptions that produced more than 1,000 students earning college credit this year.
Dr. Vincent Leone, the district's director of programs and policy, told the Brentwood Union Free School District Board of Education that Graduation Plus has moved from a strategic plan to a districtwide implementation that emphasizes two core expectations: that staff know students'strengths and connect learning to the real world.
"Rather than counting programs, we intentionally worked backwards," Leone said, summarizing the district's approach to measuring impact. He told the board the district expanded individualized career pathways, licensure certification, dual college credit, career and technical education and work‑based learning in the program's first year.
Leone said more than 1,000 students earned college credit this year and that 155 of those students earned 12 or more college credits before graduation. He also described pilots allowing regents exam exemptions through performance‑based assessment, which the district said improved outcomes for English‑language learners and students with disabilities.
The board also recognized the top 10 students from Ross and Sanderling high schools. Superintendent Wanda Ortiz Rivera and other staff announced students' GPAs and cumulative college credits earned; speakers repeatedly thanked families, teachers and counselors for support and noted students' early college credit accumulation.
Student ex‑officio board member Jillian Guevara, delivering her final report, said the role helped bridge communication between students and district leadership and advocated for improvements to guidance‑department communication and accessibility.
Alumnus Steven Cornejo, who told the board he attends New York University on a full scholarship, urged the district to create an alumni volunteer program to help current students with FAFSA, CSS profile and college essays; the board asked staff to follow up to explore the idea.
The presentation concluded with a short video showcasing student pathways and college destinations, which board members said illustrated the initiative's early impact. The board moved on to remaining agenda items after thanking Leone for the presentation.
