NORWICH – Norwich City School District Superintendent Gerard O’Sullivan is rebutting public claims that the school, academically speaking, is in decline.
O’Sullivan’s comments deflect allegations published in two recent letters to the editor recently published in The Evening Sun, both of which argue the school is lagging academically compared to its Chenango County counterparts. Moreover, those letters point to Norwich’s comparatively low scores on Regents examinations when matched up with other local districts, as well as the decline of both Regents scores and graduation rates in recent years.
“I do realize that Norwich isn’t Vestal or New Hartford, but I would have expected Norwich to maintain its academic lead over our sister districts in the mid Chenango valley area,” wrote Ed Erickson in a letter to the editor. “It might surprise Norwich residents to know that the NCSD’s 2014 graduation rate was 75 percent, while Greene, Sherburne-Earlville, and Oxford had 2014 graduation rates of 90 percent, 88 percent, and 79 percent respectively.”
But O’Sullivan says such worries don’t necessarily take other influencing factors – such as student demographics, prior years’ performance, or certain economic elements – into perspective, which he says are issues worthy of at least a discussion.
O’Sullivan additionally alluded to Norwich’s populace of students eligible for the free and reduced lunch program, which he cites as an indicator of student success. Approximately 54 percent of the district (976 students) are eligible for free and reduced lunch, according to the New York State Education Department’s website. The total number of students eligible is significantly higher than neighboring schools, including Sherburne-Earlville (679 students), Oxford (410 students), Unadilla Valley (496 students), Greene (554 students), and Otselic Valley (179 students).
“A good indicator of student success is the wealth of a community,” said O’Sullivan, adding that those eligible for free or reduced lunch 10 years ago was only in the 30 percent range. “Wealthy communities have students who do better on standardized tests ... When you see that growth in free and reduced population, you know there’s going to be an impact on student achievement.”
As for the district’s 75 percent graduation rate (also under attack in recent letters to The Evening Sun), O’Sullivan said the number varies from year to year. For example, in 2008, NCSD saw a 75 percent graduation rate, but that was up from 70 percent the year before, he said.
Scores on standardized math tests have also been a point of scrutiny as the district saw a passing rate well below the statewide average of 72 percent. In 2013-2014, only 51 percent of the 199 students tested in algebra received a passing rate. In Algebra (Common Core), 41 percent of the 169 percent received a passing rate. Geometry fared better with 72 percent of 132 students passing, but algebra 2 saw only a 44 percent passing rate with 89 students tested (compared to a 73 percent passing rate at S-E, 87 percent at Oxford, 78 percent at UV, and 96 percent in Greene).
Scores of the Common Core standardized tests issued in April, 2015 will not be made available by NYSED until June.
“As a parent, I do have expectations that teachers teach students the information that they need to learn. I know that a great portion of the learning process rests on the students. But why do these same students achieve passing scores in all other subject areas than Math?” asked Norwich parent Donna Given in a letter to the editor published earlier this month.
“Technically, (those numbers) are correct; but you have to make sure you’re looking at the same population,” O’Sullivan said. “Years ago, not all students took Regents examinations because there was local diplomas, so groups of students did not challenge the Regents. Also, starting in 2008, that’s when special education students had to start taking Regents examinations, and that’s about 15 percent of our population.”
“We do see those scores, and we react,” he added, pointing to steps the district is taking to improve math scores. Those include adding a new algebra course for the 2015-2016 school year, increased availability for help from teachers before and after school, and switching to a traditional nine-period bell system so teachers see students on a daily basis.
“In spite of the big increase of our free and reduced lunches and the fact that we are now testing all of our students with disabilities, I would say our teachers are perhaps doing even better than they did before,” O’Sullivan added. “We have a great staff, teachers are very focused, very dedicated, and they're working under tough conditions ... Do we have issues? Absolutely. Do we recognize them? Absolutely. Are we trying to improve them? Absolutely.”
O’Sullivan said parents or community member who have concerns are welcome to contact him for information and discussion, or speak publically at one of NCSD’s monthly board of education meetings.