Commissioner Mills Announces Actions Regarding 31 Schools 

            State Education Commissioner Richard Mills today placed 20 Schools Under Registration; reached agreements with New York City, Rochester, and Albany to phase out and close seven schools; and warned that an additional four former SURR schools are at risk of being identified for registration review next year if performance does not improve.  The Commissioner also announced the removal of eight schools from registration review.  

These actions bring the total number of Schools Under Registration Review (SURR schools) to 65 statewide, 35 of them in New York City.  

Of the schools placed under registration review this school year, nine are in New York City, three each in Buffalo, Syracuse and Rochester, and one each in Wyandanch and Yonkers. Of the eight removed schools, six are in New York City, one in Hempstead, and one in Yonkers. 

The number of schools identified is five more than last year and the number removed is also five more than last year.   

Commissioner Mills said, “The new grade 3-8 tests show declining performance from elementary to middle school. We will provide help and support for these schools and require fundamental restructuring if there is no progress. The number of schools designated this year represents an increase from last year. I will designate an even larger number of SURR schools by January.”  

The Commissioner announced that he has reached agreements with the Chancellor of the New York City public schools and the superintendent of the Rochester School District to phase out a total of three current SURR schools (two in NYC and one in Rochester) that have not made sufficient progress towards achieving their performance targets.  The Commissioner has also agreed not to identify at this time three schools in New York City because he has received assurances that these schools will be closed, and one school in Albany that the superintendent will recommend that the school board close.   

Finally, the Commissioner has warned the Buffalo and New York City school districts that a total of four former SURRs, three in New York City and one in Buffalo, must improve their results or risk being re-identified next year.  

            For the first time the new Grade 3-8 English language arts and mathematics assessments were used to identify schools for registration review.  Sixteen of the 20 newly identified schools serve intermediate grades. 

            Since 1989, 295 schools have been identified for registration review. Of these, 198 have been removed because of improving academic performance, including 106 that have been removed since 2001. An additional 55 schools that did not meet their performance targets have been closed by school districts, including eight last year.   

            The level of achievement that schools were required to demonstrate to avoid possible consideration for registration review was a Performance Index of 90 in Elementary-Middle Level English, 85 in Elementary-Middle Level math, and 100 in high school English and mathematics.  These typically increase each year. The Board of Regents is currently considering adding graduation rate as an additional SURR criterion.   

            Attached are lists of schools identified for, and removed from registration review.   

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ATTACHMENT A

 New Schools Identified for Registration Review

March 2007

School	Region	District	Criteria	Cutpoint for Farthest From State Standards	Performance Index
Buffalo Elementary School Of Technology	NA	Buffalo	3-8 ELA	90	84
			3-8 Math	85	67
P.S. 74 Hamlin Park Elementary School	NA	Buffalo	3-8 ELA	90	73
			3-8 Math	85	64
Grabiarz School Of Excellence	NA	Buffalo	3-8 Math	85	73
Thomas Jefferson High School	NA	Rochester	3-8 Math	85	61
James Monroe High School	NA	Rochester	3-8 Math	85	56
International Finance & Economic Development HS At Franklin	NA	Rochester	3-8 Math	85	55
Clary Math/Science Magnet Middle School	NA	Syracuse	3-8 Math	85	74
Applied Science Magnet at Martin Luther King Community School	NA	Syracuse	3-8 Math	85	74
Elmwood Elementary School	NA	Syracuse	3-8 Math	85	83
Commerce Middle School	NA	Yonkers	3-8 Math	85	82
Wyandanch Memorial HS	NA	Wyandanch	HS ELA	100	90
J.H.S.  13 Jackie Robinson	9	4	3-8 ELA	90	81
			3-8 Math	85	54
J.H.S.  45 J. C. Roberts	9	4	3-8 ELA	90	86
			3-8 Math	85	84
MS 203	9	7	3-8 ELA	90	87
			3-8 Math	85	70
MS 301-Paul L. Dunbar	2	8	3-8 ELA	90	88
			3-8 Math	85	82
J.H.S.  22 Jordan L. Mott	1	9	3-8 Math	85	73
I.S. 232	1	9	3-8 Math	85	81
I.S. 339-School Of Communications Technology	1	9	3-8 Math	85	66
I.S. 246 Walt Whitman	6	17	3-8 Math	85	78
Canarsie HS	6	18	HS ELA	100	94

   

 

ATTACHMENT B

 Schools Removed from Registration Review

 March 2007

  

District	School	Year Identified	Criteria	Performance Index	Targets
Hempstead	Hempstead HS	2004	HS ELA	120	NA
			HS Math	135	119
Yonkers	Roosevelt HS	2004	HS ELA	137	NA
			HS Math	136	117
9	P.S. 230  Dr. Roland N. Patterson	2004	3-8 ELA	120	115
			3-8 Math	133	116
10	PS 396	2004	3-8 ELA	121	118
			3-8 Math	141	NA
12	Monroe Academy for Visual Arts & Design	2004	HS ELA	165	118
			HS Math	164	112
15	School For International Studies	2003	3-8 ELA	113	113
			3-8 Math	128	100
			HS ELA	127	NA
			HS Math	140	NA
19	William H. Maxwell VHS	2003	HS ELA	107	NA
			HS Math	115	107
29	I.S. 192 The Linden School	2001	3-8 ELA	117	110
			3-8 Math	93	105

 

Note: I.S. 192 achieved its math target in 2004-2005. 

      

As of 3/2007

Schools Under Registration Review (SURR) List 

New York City

 

Region	District	School	BEDS	Year Identi