Edward Williams, Graham, Pennington and Benjamin Turner taken off priority,
focus lists by New York State
MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. (January 23, 2019) — A recent report from the New York State Education Department found 14 of the 16 schools in the Mount Vernon City School District to be in good standing. The recent report listed all Mount Vernon elementary and middle schools with good standing designations.
Pennington School and Graham School were removed from the “focus school” list and designated as “schools in good standing.” Edward Williams School and Benjamin Turner Middle School were awarded designation upgrades to “schools in good standing” from “priority school” designations by the New York State Education Department.
The Education Department defines a “school in good standing” as one “which has not been identified as a school in need of improvement, requiring corrective action, planning for restructuring, or requiring academic progress, or as a school under registration review.”
Last year’s Education Department report included improved designations for Columbus, Hamilton, and Rebecca Turner elementary schools – all of which maintained their status of “schools in good standing” in the 2019 report.
“Because of the vast diversity of our community, our district works to ensure its schools offer culturally rich curriculum, interventions and academic enrichment that meet the needs of our students,” said Dr. Waveline Bennett-Conroy, Assistant Superintendent of School Improvement for the Mount Vernon City School District.
Since Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kenneth R. Hamilton took the helm in 2014, his vision for academic success has led to notable achievements at each of the District’s schools. Measures such as strategic planning, academic support, professional development, assessment surveys, partnerships, family and community engagement, and grant funding secured to supplement programs are considered to be contributing factors to the District’s success.
“Each of our schools has demonstrated exceptional dedication to improving students’ academic outcomes. Through the implementation of new programs and initiatives, we have seen tremendously positive results,” said Dr. Kenneth R. Hamilton. “We intend to continue identifying areas of improvement and evaluating our success measures so that all of our schools may be recognized as schools in good standing, and maintain that status year after year.”
Additional plans have been designed under the guidance of department leaders at The Mount Vernon High School to work toward improving its designation of “Targeted Support and Improvement” to “Good Standing.” Each month, building stakeholders, such as guidance counselors, department leaders, and school administration, will meet to review data to ensure students are on track. Additionally, parent meetings will be scheduled to educate parents on the accountability status of their students.
About Mount Vernon City School District
With more than 8,000 students in 16 schools, the Mount Vernon City School District is committed to providing a quality education to its children as well as developing programs that meet the diverse academic and social needs of its students.
