Office of Communications

Sharon L. Contreras, Ph.D.

725 Harrison St. Syracuse, NY 13210

Phone 3154355800 Fax 3154354015

Superintendent of Schools

For Immediate Release
February 26, 2016
For more information, please contact the Office of Communications at 435-5800.

SCSD Schools Earn Improved Accountability Status from

New York State Education Department

New data released from the New York State Education Department (NYSED) shows that nine out of the
eighteen SCSD schools currently in receivership status made significant academic progress; these schools will
be removed from the receivership list. In addition, four other schools in the Syracuse City School District have
made improvements in their accountability status designations.

Franklin, Hughes, Bellevue, Grant, H.W. Smith, Nottingham, Porter, Seymour and Van Duyn schools have all
been removed from priority status, improving to Focus or Good Standing designations. Four of the seven
schoolsBellevue, Porter, Seymour and Van Duyn are a part of the Innovation Zone (iZone) and improved
from Priority to Focus status.

Improved academic outcomes have been driven by dedicated teachers, school leaders, support staff, parents
and students as well as the coordinated efforts of the districts technical partners and community based
organizations (CBOs). These efforts help ensure that more students have access to excellent teaching,
personalized academic intervention, high quality enrichment and increased levels of social emotional and
mental health supports. Key strategies that schools are implementing with the assistance of technical
partners and CBOs include extended learning time and after school programs, personalized blended learning,
used of data to drive school improvement efforts, and strategies to enhance school climate, classroom
management and student and parent engagement. The district is also attracting top tier teachers through a
competitive new contract and a focus on recruiting, hiring and retaining the best teachers.

Coupled with the recent increase in graduation rates, the latest NYSED data serves as an affirmation that the
tireless efforts of the students, staff and technical and community partners of the Syracuse City School District
are making a difference and moving us in the right direction, Superintendent Sharon L. Contreras said. Our
Districts mission is to build school communities that provide all students with a high-quality education that
prepares them to graduate college and career ready. We will continue our transformation efforts to ensure
that our students experience the greatest possible educational gains.

Furthermore, the recent data showed the number of SCSD schools considered in Good Standing has tripled,
from three in 2015-2016 to nine in 2016-2017. The schools in 'Good Standing' include Expeditionary Learning
Middle School, Delaware Primary, Franklin, Hughes, Huntington, Institute of Technology, Public Service
Learning Academy, Salem Hyde and Syracuse Latin. Previously, the three schools in Good Standing were as a
result of the phasing-in of new schools PSLA at Fowler, Syracuse Latin and Delaware Primary. In addition, the
schools designated as priority schools, the lowest performing five percent of Title I schools in the state, have
decreased from 18 in 2015-2016 to 12 in 2016-2017. These identifications are based on the annual
performance of students on state assessments, as well as graduation rates.


Other schools that improved are Expeditionary Learning Middle School (Focus to Good Standing), ITC (Focus to
Good Standing), Salem Hyde (Focus to Good Standing) and Huntington (Focus to Good Standing).

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