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Three Local Schools Rise to Good Standing

By HEATHER HADDON

The year started on a high-note last week at PS/MS 15, PS 94 and MS 206 as the schools were recently removed from the states list of schools in need of improvement. The three local schools were the only ones in the district to join the 65 schools citywide that demonstrated sufficient improvement over the last two years. 

"Its a real achievement," said Dr. Candido DeJesus, principal of MS 206 in University Heights. "Im very proud."

MS 206, along with PS/MS 15 in University Heights and PS 94 in Norwood, all adequately improved their test scores in math, literacy, or both. PS/MS 15 improved in math, and PS 94 and MS 206 in literacy.

Under the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law, their students will no longer be granted transfers to better-performing schools. "Now other kids are trying to transfer in," boasted DeJesus, in his fourth year at MS 206. "The word is out in this community that this is a good school."

Under the federal law known as Title I, additional funding to schools in low-income communities is contingent on meeting state achievement guidelines. Schools that dont perform up to par for multiple years face restructuring or closure. NCLB upped the ante by creating standards for additional groups of students, like ethnic minorities and English-as-a-Second-Language learners.

As any principal would attest, meeting those benchmarks is difficult. The following 11 local schools remained on the list of those needing improvement: PS/MS 20, PS 33, MS 45, PS 46, MS 80, PS/MS 95, MS 143, PS 246, MS 254, PS/MS 315, and MS 399.

Harriet Kamiel, MS 206s literacy coach, attributed their success to well-attended optional sessions on Saturdays and 10 weeks of intensive test preparation. The school spends two weeks alone carefully designing small groups for the "blitz," as its called, and all the students and staff participate. 

"We kill ourselves for this blitz," Kamiel said. "We make an effort to redistribute 
resources. . . so everybody gets involved." Teachers are encouraged to give up their free periods to the effort, where students practice for the tests in a small group environment.

DeJesus thinks its the quality of MS 206s teachers that led to their progress. "Im the second most senior principal in the district, and this is the best staff Ive ever had," he said.

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