Kelley School earns big state honor

Standard & Poor's School Evaluation Services has identified 39 New York schools that have significantly narrowed the achievement gap between higher and lower performing student groups during the 2003-04 and 2004-05 school years.

Among the New York schools meriting this recognition is the Norman R. Kelley Intermediate School on West Miller St., Newark.

This report represents Standard & Poor's second analysis of achievement gaps in New York, updating its initial study, which focused on school districts rather than schools. Kelley School was cited as one of the few schools that closed the gap between economically disadvantaged students. Schools with achievement gap reductions that met all the criteria were rare.

However, there were clearly a number of schools whose accomplishments stand out as both difficult and desirable to achieve. These schools, like Kelley, are being recognized in the hopes that they may serve as benchmarks and sources of promising practices for educators elsewhere in the state who are trying to close achievement gaps while improving the achievement gaps of all students. These 39 schools represent less than one percent of New York States 4,418 schools.

'It is difficult to narrow achievement gaps,' explained Thomas Sheridan, vice president of Standard & Poor's School Evaluation Services. 'However, this analysis shows that there are a number of schools that have made outstanding progress. Their success should be commended, and their practices should be more closely examined to illuminate the strategies that can be implemented by educators in other parts of New York who are working hard to raise the performance of all students.'

Kelley School was selected based on the significant academic growth made in both Reading and Math in grade 4 assessments. Chris Mizro, Kelley school principal, was thrilled when she learned the school had achieved at this level.

'When I learned about our school receiving this recognition, I congratulated my entire staff for their efforts in improving student achievement,' said Mizro. 'This continues to be our major emphasis.'

School Board President Robert Colacino said, 'Receiving this news about Kelley School confirms what I was already believing. That we, as a school district - administrators, teachers, para-professionals and parents working as a team - are doing everything we can to improve our academic outcomes.' Superintendent Robert Christmann said, 'The principal objective of the Board of Education, this administration, our faculty and staff is to work to see to it that every student in our school district achieves at the highest level they are capable of. So this news is very gratifying to all of us.'

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