Rochester City School District
News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
January 17, 2019
Editor Contact:
Carlos Garcia
585.262.8351 (o)
585.435.1296 (m)
NYSED ANNOUNCES ACCOUNTABILITY STATUS FOR RCSD SCHOOLS 

School No. 9 Moves From Receivership to Good Standing,
with Four Additional RCSD Schools Moving Out of Receivership
Rochester, NY – The New York State Education Department (NYSED) announced the accountability status of all schools across New York State, removing five of the seven current RCSD Receivership schools out of Receivership status. NYSED determined the schools made demonstrable improvement in specific categories—with one school achieving significant improvement, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. School No. 9. In addition, the District has 14 schools in Good Standing, which is an improvement over the last several years.

The District is proud to recognize that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. School No. 9 is one of two schools in the entire State to become a school in Good Standing after being in Receivership for the past three years. School No. 9, who serves over 50% English Language Learners, has developed a culture of high expectations, a strong instructional program, and meaningful engagement with their families and key stakeholders in their success.

“Receivership signals the need for innovation and intensive community supports, which includes significant resources to both remediate and accelerate progress,” said Superintendent Barbara Deane-Williams. “The Receivership model has been designed to provide flexibility and resources that schools need to improve performance of our students. Rochester is on the move, building momentum and excitement as we accelerate the agenda to lift our schools and make a collective impact on every child. We applaud each school community.”

In a statement from Dr. Elizabeth Mascitti-Miller, Deputy Superintendent of Administration and Strategic Partnerships, “We are proud of our schools who have worked tirelessly as a team, including students, families, teachers, staff, and our community school partners to make this happen. We still must stay focused on what is essential to improve student achievement.”

“I am grateful for the hard work and dedication of the entire School No. 9 community, who has been integral in the tremendous turnaround in our school,” said Sharon Jackson, Principal of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. School No. 9. “Every child deserves a high-quality education, and I am proud of the significant work that happens daily to ensure powerful learning for all students.”

The remaining four schools – Nathaniel Rochester Community School No. 3, Roberto Clemente School No. 8, Enrico Fermi School No. 17, and Mary McLeod Bethune School No. 45—have been designated as Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI) schools and removed from Receivership status.

T he District has focused squarely on improving these schools by taking several critical steps to allow for the extensive work to take place.
  • Superintendent Barbara Deane-Williams created a Receivership Chief of Schools and Office of Intensive Support and Innovation to partner with schools in developing strong teaching and learning practice, building coherent professional learning structures, using data to drive instructions, and building a culture of high expectations.
  • Built the capacity of school leaders through professional learning support.
  • Strategically aligned resources to both remediate and accelerate learning.
  • Implemented community engagement teams to engage all stakeholder groups in the Receivership process.
  • Developed Community Schools with strong mental health and community partnerships.
  • Provided intensive supports from School Chiefs and the Office of Innovation to design personalized school plans.

The Receivership law, formally known as the Education Transformation Act of 2015, took effect on July 1, 2015. It requires the lowest-performing schools in the State to make rapid improvements to avoid further State intervention. The newly identified Receivership schools were in Priority status during the 2017-18 school year and are now newly identified as Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) schools. This cohort of schools is placed into Superintendent Receivership and must show Demonstrable Improvement beginning with the 2019-20 school year or will be placed into independent Receivership. These 10 schools are Dr. Walter Cooper Academy School No. 10, John Walton Spencer School No. 16, Dr. Charles T. Lunsford School No. 19, Henry Hudson School No. 28, John James Audubon School No. 33, Joseph C. Wilson Foundation Academy, Edison Career and Technology High School, Integrated Arts and Technology High School, Leadership Academy for Young Men, and Vanguard Collegiate High School. 

We are proud of two schools that have made demonstrable improvements over the past three years, but remain in Receivership. These schools are James Monroe High School and Northeast High School. 

These twelve school communities will conduct public hearings between February 5 and February 12, 2019. At these hearings, families, teachers, administrators, and staff will discuss the Receivership law and begin development of improvement plans. These meetings are working sessions where attendees will review draft improvement plans and discuss ways in which the community can work together for positive change.

During this improvement period, the District Superintendent acts as the receiver, with the authority to change staffing, schedules, curriculum, and other fundamentals to improve student achievement. 

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131 W. Broad Street, Rochester, NY 14614 | 585-262-8100