Sixth Time that Sayville High School Recognized as a Reward School
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In the official statement released by the New York State Education department, Sayville High School has been named a Reward School for the 2017-2018 school year, a distinction the district has earned every year since the Reward School program’s inception. New York State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia has identified Sayville as one of the 155 high-achieving and high-progress schools statewide for making the most progress or having the highest performance with no significant gaps in student achievement. Being named a Reward School validates the Sayville staff’s commitment to academic excellence and their tireless efforts to ensure all students succeed.
Dr. Christine Criscione, Sayville Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, remarked, “This Reward designation would not be possible without the work of our talented, dedicated Sayville staff and a supportive Board of Education in sustaining a consistent pattern of student growth and achievement over multiple years.”
Sayville Superintendent Dr. John E. Stimmel felt proud and excited by the Reward School recognition, “We are one of eight schools in Suffolk and one of 155 in all of New York State to have received this honor! This distinction reflects positively not just on our high school but on our entire school community as well. Every teacher, administrator, staff member, and board trustee has contributed to the achievement of our students. I particularly want to congratulate Mr. Hoffer, Mr. Baio, Ms. Makris, and the entire faculty and staff of Sayville High School. Your dedication, compassion, and hard work are investments that have reaped rich dividends. Lastly I want to celebrate our students’ accomplishment. Their enthusiasm, creativity and effort are unsurpassed. Sayville Pride runs long and deep. This award publicly celebrates what we in the District have long known, Sayville is a special place!”
From the Official Press release:
To be identified as a Reward School, a school must:
- Be among the top 20 percent of schools in the state for English language arts (ELA) and math performance for both the 2015-16 and 2016-17 school years or be among the top ten percent of schools in terms of gains in ELA and math performance in the 2016-17 school year;
- Have made Adequate Yearly Progress for the 2015-16 and 2016-17 school years for all groups of students on all measures for which the school is accountable, including the requirement that 95 percent of all groups participate in the English language arts and mathematics assessments; and
- Not have unacceptably large gaps in student performance on an accountability measure between students who are members of an accountability group (e.g., low-income students) and students who are not members of that group.
- High schools must have graduation rates above 80 percent to be a high-achieving school and above 60 percent to be a high-progress school and the percentage of students in the school who graduate with a Regents diploma with advanced designation or a Career and Technical Endorsement (CTE) must exceed the State average. Additionally, high schools must demonstrate that their graduation rate for students who entered the school performing below proficient in ELA or math exceeds the State average.
Of the identified schools, 64 are located in New York City, 73 are located in the rest of the state and 18 are public charter schools. In addition, 107 of these schools were identified as Reward Schools last year, and 81 have been identified as Reward Schools for three consecutive years.
“The teachers and administrators at these Reward schools work hard each day to raise the bar and give their students opportunities to achieve their dreams,” Board of Regents Chancellor Betty A. Rosa said. “The proof is in the results these schools have obtained and I am thrilled to celebrate their success.”
“It’s truly impressive that so many of this year’s Reward Schools were able to maintain the designation for three years in a row,” Commissioner Elia said. “All of these schools serve as models to others in the state to inspire them to achieve a high level of accomplishment and improvement.”