School Partnership Aims to Boost Long Beach Grades

Story by Geoff Walter

Long Beach Middle School will partner with New Hyde Park-Garden City Park School District as part of a state initiative to boost failing middle school grades.

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According to the New York State Education Department, Long Beach will be awarded $150,000 in “replication” grants to pay for cooperative projects with New Hyde Park-Garden City Park, the state announced Monday.

The program was designed to be used by schools in need of academic improvement to be partnered with more successful districts with the intent of raising achievement by borrowing practices from their more successful counterpart, according to Newsday.

LBMS was cited as being in need of improvement by the state in the 2011-12 school year due to low English and math scores in the school’s African-American and special needs student populations. The majority of students passed state tests in both test areas.

According to information Long Beach Superintendent David Weiss supplied to Patch, the African American subgroup needed a Performance Index score of 112, and got a 111. The students with disabilities needed a score of 113, and received an 89.

"Overall the school’s index was 154, significantly higher than the 118 target needed for [Adequate Yearly Progress]," said Weiss, who noted that scores have to reach the designated targets two consecutive years in order to be removed from any corrective rating.

"Last year the Middle School made its targets, and if they do it again, they will retain to a 'good standing designation,'" he said. "In the meantime, since money was available from the State for schools undergoing corrective action, we applied for the grant and received it."

Long Beach will use much of its grant money to buy electronic blackboards and notepads to improve learning at the district’s 900-student middle school, Weiss told Newsday. Funding also will go to staff training. The idea is to borrow from technological techniques used successfully in New Hyde Park-Garden City Park schools.

"The technology and training will help us improve the quality of education we can deliver to students," Weiss said.

A total of $2.2 million will be awarded to 15 public schools throughout the state. About 25 schools applied for the program.