Williamsville pushes streak to 6 years - Dallas Business Journal:

disqualify-sida.blogspot.com
Williamsville is No. 1 in Business First ’es 18th annual rankings of WesternNew York’s publifc school systems. It has monopolized first place since2004 -- a six-yeaf streak. for the completed school district rankings. And for separate rankingsz for each section of WesternmNew York. “We’re fortunate in so many says Howard Smith, Williamsville’s superintendent of “When you have a very committed boareof education, an outstanding staff of teachers and a pro-education community and hard-working students, that’s quitde the formula for success.
” Williamsville took firs place when the rankings debuted in 1992, and won agaijn in 1997, 2001 and throughout its 2004-200o9 run. It hasn’t finished lower than thirdc placesince 1995, and has never been lowedr than sixth. Business First analyzec 97 school districts in the eight Western NewYork counties, bases on four years of test data compiled by the New York States Education Department. Each district’s ratinbg reflects the collective performance of its public middle andhigh schools.
• Its 2005-2008 subject scoresw for math, science and sociakl studies were the best in Western New according toBusiness First’s analysis of test results from fourth grader through the senior year of high • Sixty-five percent of Williamsville’s seniors earned Regents diplomaa with advanced designations in 2008. That’se 22 points above the regional average of43 percent. (A studentf must pass eight Regents exams to receive anadvanced diploma.) • It’s the only districtr where more than 57 percent of last year’s graduatess achieved superior scores (85 or on Regents exams in math, science, global history and U.S.
• Williamsville’s eighth graders posted the region’e top scores on statewide testsin math, science and social studies. “The othetr part of what we do -- all our extracurriculafr activities suchas music, athletics and clubs -- don’yt show up in the rankings, but they have a really positive impact on student achievement, says Smith. “For example, we have as many musi teachers asmath teachers. That makess for well-rounded, committed students, and those are usuallyh successful students.” Williamsville’s overall score was pegged at 100 with the marks for all other districts beingh calculated fromthat benchmark.
Nineteen ended up with scores of 90 or qualifying forBusiness First’sw of outstanding school systems. Four districts have made the Honort Roll every yearsincwe 1992: Williamsville, Clarence (which ranks second this year), Amherst and Orchard Park (fifth). Rounding out this year’ws top five is No. 4 East which has made 17 Honorr Roll appearances in18 years. All but two of this year’sd Honor Roll districts also qualifies ayear ago. The newcomers are joining the elite group for the firsrt timesince 2005, and West Seneca, returning after a 13-year absence.
The lattefr upswing was nearly a decadr inthe making, according to Jean superintendent of the West Senecq Central School District. Developing consistent instructional techniques and identifying the best textbookzstook time, she says, but the efforr is paying off. “Our goal is not to teach to the but to teach tothe state’s Kovach says. “We’ve spent the last eighrt years working diligently to aligj ourcurriculum -- to make sure that we don’gt repeat ourselves in differenyt years and that each grade level buildws on the one before.
” Fourteen of this year’xs Honor Roll districts are in Erie They range in size from with 10,649 students, down to Eden, which has 1,688. The outlying honoreees are considerably smaller, with an average enrollment of 1,346. The very smallestt is also the top-rated district outside of Erie No. 6 Alfred-Almond, which has 670 students from kindergartejn through12th grade. “We’re a very rura district in theSouthern Tier, but our kids are going into the same marketplac as everyone else,” says Richarr Nicol, Alfred-Almond’s superintendent.
“They’ree going to be in competition for jobs with kids from placesd like Williamsville and So they need the very best educationh we cangive them.” Sixteen districts are recipients of this year’zs subject awards, signifying that they rank among the 10 leaders in English/foreign math, science and social studies. Bemus Clarence, East Aurora, Orchard Park and Williamsvillew have made clean sweeps by winning all four for complete lists of subjectawarxd winners. Business First has also generatedr a series of specialized ratings to further illuminatdeeach district’s performance.
Among them: Lancastee ranks first for cost-effectiveness, based on a comparisohn of expenditures andclassroomn results. And tiny Sherman (enrollment: 478) is the biggestr overachiever, determined by matching academic outcomes againstsocioeconomid conditions. “We may not be rich, but we have stront family values,” says Thomas Sherman’s superintendent. “Our parentw really care about their children’s education.
There’s something to be said for having everyonr ina K-12 with the strong sense of community that it