Ed Board to Review Greenwich Schools' Performance

Accountabililty and school performance levels are among the topics the Greenwich Board of Education will discuss at its Jan. 10 work session.

It will be the first time meeting the board will examine the new Accountability System set forth by the Connecticut State Department of Education (SDE), according to Superintendent of Schools William McKersie.

The presentation will include an explaination of Connecticut's new accountability system and a calculation of baseline school performance indicators (SPIs) and 2012-2013 performance targets by each school.

Work To Do

The new performance targets established by the state have been determined through the mean of 2009-2010, 2010-2011, and 2011-2012 SPIs at each individual school. According to the report, "schools with baselines greater than or equal to 88 must maintain an SPI greater than or equal to 88. Schools with baselines less than 88 must progress 1/12th the distance from their baselines to 88 each year." Greenwich Schools in the latter category are and their 2012-2013 targets are:

• Cos Cob - 86.6
• Glenville - 84.6
• Hamilton Avenue - 76.6
• Julian Curtiss - 86.1
• New Lebanon - 78.3
• Western Middle - 82.8
• Greenwich High - 86.1

According to the special report submitted to the board by McKersie, "the implementation of this accountability system by the SDE raises a number of questions relative to improvement planning in Greenwich," including integration, performance indicators not measured and the impact of Common Core and the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium tests.

Crafting Balance Response To The State

The board also will review a Racial Imbalance Work Plan, which summarizes "the current magnet program, facility utilization and racial balance among elementary schools." The attached findings were previously presented at the board's Dec. 6 work session.

Related to the topic, the board will review the Magnet Schools Work Plan and possibly revise the guidelines for the 2013-14 lottery process. The application deadline for a magnet school is March 1, 2013. Each of the four magnet elementary schools, Hamilton Avenue , International School at Dundee, Julian Curtiss  and will hold information sessions this month for interested families.

Magnet Process To Be Reviewed

Possiblie revisions to the guidelines, with an eye to improving "racial balance within the current magnet school structure, may include:

• Remove the sibling priority (which would free up magnet seats);
• Restrict magnet applications to selected home attendance areas;
• Reduce or waive tuition for the children of staff members who live out of district and are accepted at either Hamilton Avenue or New Lebanon;
• Provide transportation for all magnet students;
• Increase the number of available magnet seats by revising the Open Choice guidelines;
• Offer seats at non-magnet schools to students residing within the magnet school attendance areas on a space available basis;
• Give priority to students who qualify for free or reduced price lunch.

The board will also have an opportunity of examining the following Monitoring Reports:

• First Reading, Monitoring Report E-001/003, World Languages
• First Reading, Monitoring Report E-001/003, Business Education;
• First Reading, Monitoring Report E-001/003, Technology Education

The work session will start at 7 p.m. in the Havemeyer Building, 290 Greenwich Ave.