District presents kindergarten study

East Meadow School District officials presented the data from its months-long kindergarten study at the district’s Board of Education communications meeting on Jan. 29. The study was conducted at the request of board trustees and Superintendent Louis DeAngelo to determine if East Meadow should expand its current half-day kindergarten program.

East Meadow is one of only 18 school districts in the state — and one of just two in Nassau County — that do not have a full-day kindergarten program. Parents attending school board meetings have said they fear that their children may be falling behind in a half-day program, in light of the adoption of the demanding Common Core State Standards.

The 13-member committee of administrators, teachers, psychologists and parents studied how East Meadow students are faring compared with students in other districts, while projecting the potential impact of an expansion on district finances and personnel. The presentation was delivered by the district’s three assistant superintendents — Cindy Munter, curriculum and instruction; Anthony Russo, personnel and administration; and Mary Ann O’Brien, business and finance.

Board of Education President Joseph Parisi said the board is targeting its Feb. 26 communications meeting to announce whether the district will expand the program.

The highlights of the administrators’ presentation revealed that East Meadow students have performed better on state assessments since the inception of the Common Core than the average student in Nassau County or New York state; that East Meadow elementary schools have the space to incorporate extra students and equipment for a full-day program; and that a full-day implementation would cost approximately $3 million in 2015-16 — $1.8 million of which would be covered by state aid — and would rise incrementally in each succeeding year.