Study finds NCSD among 50 worst school districts in state
NORWICH – According to a New York Upstate article published February 1, Norwich City School District ranks among the 50 worst school districts in the state based on academic and student life data.
A Niche.com study gave NCSD an overall grade of C based on its methodology that considered New York State school districts' academics, teachers, culture and diversity, parent and student surveys, health and safety, resources and facilities, clubs and activities, and sports.
NCSD Superintendent Gerard O'Sullivan said while he is sure the rating is using accurate data, there are additional conflicts and data that should be considered.
"There is a lot more to a school district than three or four data points put together to make a headline," said O'Sullivan.
"One of the conflicts would be that for the past two years the State Education Department has classified Norwich as a 'District in Good Standing,'" said O'Sullivan. "There are other districts that are classified as 'Focus Districts' or 'Local Assistance' districts that are not on the newspaper list."
The study reports NCSD has a graduation rate of 77 percent, and that just 46 percent of students are proficient in math, and 36 percent proficient in reading.
O'Sullivan said this isn't necessarily an accurate reflection of the district when up to 50 percent of students or more in grades third through eighth opt not to take the Math and English Language Arts regents exam.
Other important measures of success that should be considered, according to O'Sullivan, include the number of students involved in taking college level AP courses, the school's robotics program, and the school's STEM program.
"If I was a parent of a graduating senior who is leaving Norwich High School with over a year's worth of college credit by taking our college level classes I'd think that the high school is doing a good job," said O'Sullivan. "While we can always do better on our regents scores, we have some classes that are among the best in the region."
O'Sullivan said the district recognizes where it needs to improve and that some of the areas it has invested in won't show up immediately in a test score.
"In the past two years we've added at both the middle school and high school At-Risk Coordinators and a school social worker," said O'Sullivan. "We started a partnership with Chenango County Mental Health to have two mental health workers on-site in our buildings."
He said that the district is also enriching its music and art programs, since students who are involved in school activities tend to do better in academics.
NCSD Board President John Klockowski said at face-value seeing the district on the list was concerning to him and he plans to share his concerns with other school board members.
"We certainly have processes that we're working on instituting and trying to ensure that the district is the best that it can be for all of our students, and we hope to continue to drive toward reaching excellence," said Klockowski.
To review NCSD's Niche.com grade in full or to review how it measures school districts, visit www.niche.com/k12/d/norwich-city-school-district-ny/.
A Niche.com study gave NCSD an overall grade of C based on its methodology that considered New York State school districts' academics, teachers, culture and diversity, parent and student surveys, health and safety, resources and facilities, clubs and activities, and sports.
NCSD Superintendent Gerard O'Sullivan said while he is sure the rating is using accurate data, there are additional conflicts and data that should be considered.
"There is a lot more to a school district than three or four data points put together to make a headline," said O'Sullivan.
"One of the conflicts would be that for the past two years the State Education Department has classified Norwich as a 'District in Good Standing,'" said O'Sullivan. "There are other districts that are classified as 'Focus Districts' or 'Local Assistance' districts that are not on the newspaper list."
The study reports NCSD has a graduation rate of 77 percent, and that just 46 percent of students are proficient in math, and 36 percent proficient in reading.
O'Sullivan said this isn't necessarily an accurate reflection of the district when up to 50 percent of students or more in grades third through eighth opt not to take the Math and English Language Arts regents exam.
Other important measures of success that should be considered, according to O'Sullivan, include the number of students involved in taking college level AP courses, the school's robotics program, and the school's STEM program.
"If I was a parent of a graduating senior who is leaving Norwich High School with over a year's worth of college credit by taking our college level classes I'd think that the high school is doing a good job," said O'Sullivan. "While we can always do better on our regents scores, we have some classes that are among the best in the region."
O'Sullivan said the district recognizes where it needs to improve and that some of the areas it has invested in won't show up immediately in a test score.
"In the past two years we've added at both the middle school and high school At-Risk Coordinators and a school social worker," said O'Sullivan. "We started a partnership with Chenango County Mental Health to have two mental health workers on-site in our buildings."
He said that the district is also enriching its music and art programs, since students who are involved in school activities tend to do better in academics.
NCSD Board President John Klockowski said at face-value seeing the district on the list was concerning to him and he plans to share his concerns with other school board members.
"We certainly have processes that we're working on instituting and trying to ensure that the district is the best that it can be for all of our students, and we hope to continue to drive toward reaching excellence," said Klockowski.
To review NCSD's Niche.com grade in full or to review how it measures school districts, visit www.niche.com/k12/d/norwich-city-school-district-ny/.
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