All schools in the Minisink Valley School Central District have been labeled as schools in “good standing” by the New York State Education Department (NYSED), as required by the state’s Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

ESSA is the state’s new school accountability system that replaced “No Child Left Behind.”  NYSED announced the new school accountability designations on Jan. 17.

The designations are the first indication from the state of how schools are performing, based on the new measurements of academic success under ESSA.

“We were always confident that all of our schools would be labeled schools in ‘good standing,’” said Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Christian Ranaudo. “This recognition is a testament to the daily, dedicated efforts by every faculty and staff member to ensure we have the best student outcomes possible. ESSA is only one gauge of measurement for us and we support the NYSED’s commitment to improve educational equity.”

NYSED developed these indicators with the input of thousands of people statewide—parents, educators, and experts. The new indicators go beyond a narrow focus on measuring achievement in English language arts and mathematics.

They include other core subjects, such as science and social studies, and have a much stronger focus on student growth and school progress. Assessments are still an important part, but the new accountability system offers a more complete look at how a school is performing, according to NYSED.

Additionally, the new system also includes nonacademic measures of school performance. The new indicators include student academic achievement, student growth and school progress, progress of English language learners, chronic absenteeism, and, for high schools, graduation rates and preparing students for college, career and civic engagement.

These designations are based on student data from the 2017-2018 school year compared to baseline data from 2016-2017.