As New York state prepares to overhaul its graduation requirements, East Rockaway and Lynbrook school administrators have reported that the districts are ahead of the curve — and cite its mid-year testing to prove it.
In East Rockaway, Superintendent James DeTommaso and Assistant Superintendent Sean Murray say the district’s academic trajectory has sharply improved over the past three years, driven by new assessments, expanded college-level coursework and a districtwide shift toward project-based learning.
“We really are feeling good about the direction that we’re going,” DeTommaso said, pointing to gains across elementary and secondary levels, specifically in reading.
The share of kindergarten students reading at or above grade level rose from about a quarter of the class at the start of the 2024-25 year to 94 percent by June. Murray attributed this shift to “a tremendous amount of early-literacy work” in phonemic awareness, phonics and foundational reading skills.
Math performance in East Rockaway’s primary grades showed similar gains. In first grade, Murray said the number of students classified as “well below grade level” in math dropped to “almost nothing,” with only two students remaining in that category by the end of the school year. He emphasized that the data represents all students in the district, including those with special needs.
The result, DeTommaso said, is fewer struggling learners and “more kids closer to grade level.”
“It’s more than we’ve ever had, to be honest with you,” he said.
In fourth-grade reading, more than half of students finished the school year at or above grade level, and the number of students performing well below grade level was cut in half. Fourth-grade math followed the same pattern — a rise in students meeting grade-level expectations and a significant drop in those far behind — though Murray said the district wants those proficiency numbers “much higher” in the coming years.
Growth accelerated sharply in the middle school math program. Seventh-grade math continued to be one of the district’s strongest areas, with just under three-quarters of students performing at or above grade level. Only 10 percent were classified as well below grade level, and Murray said the district was working to replicate the strategies behind that success in other grades.
The district also reviewed year-over-year cohort growth, comparing how the same students performed across grade levels. Administrators said that math showed stronger upward movement than reading, with most grades having more students rising into at- or above-grade-level categories than falling behind. Fourth-grade math and seventh-grade math again stood out, each posting what Murray described as a large jump in the number of students on pace for grade-level success.
Three years after fully adopting the i-Ready assessment system, Murray said, the district has a clearer, more actionable view of student learning than ever before. The transition away from Northwest Evaluation Association exams has paid off, he said, adding that i-Ready has launched the district in a path that administrators are “really excited about.”
The i-Ready program, he said, provides assessment data, teacher-level diagnostic tools and individualized student learning modules.
“It’s focusing on my skill,” Murray said, putting himself in the shoes of a student. “Once I get over that hurdle of skill and I demonstrate mastery, I go to the next one.”
At the secondary level, East Rockaway is setting records. DeTommaso said the district made history both in the number of AP exams administered and the percentage of students scoring 3 or higher — even with “open enrollment” that allows nearly any student who wants to take an AP course to do so. Over 80 percent of students score 3 or higher on AP exams, which score on a 0-to-5 basis.
The district now also offers extensive dual-enrollment options through partnerships with Le Moyne College, Syracuse University, Farmingdale State College and others. Some students, DeTommaso said, now enter college with enough credits to be sophomores.
East Rockaway has also expanded three marquee programs: the AP Capstone diploma, the Seal of Biliteracy and the Seal of Civic Readiness. The district had its first Capstone graduates last year.
The Seal of Biliteracy, DeTommaso added, recognizes students who demonstrate fluency in two or more languages.
Even before New York announced a move toward alternative pathways and reduced reliance on Regents exams, East Rockaway was already reshaping instruction. Every teacher in the district, DeTommaso said, has completed multi-year professional development in project-based learning.
“We made those changes based on what we know were best instructional practices,” Murray said. “The state came to the party later.”
East Rockaway is also rolling out controlled use of generative A.I. via Magic School AI, a platform that meets state privacy standards. The district trained teachers first, Murray explained, and is now showing them “ways to ask students different questions and make their learning better.”
For the future, Murray said, the AP Computer Science course already provides coding foundations, but the district sees a new direction coming. “With artificial intelligence, coding is a quickly dying industry…,” he said. “It’s really more prompt engineering that is the future.”
A few miles west, Lynbrook Superintendent Paul Lynch reports similar progress in academics and school-community engagement.
The most noticeable gains, he said, are in writing. “We’ve been invested in a new program called the Writing Revolution,” he said, describing it as a K-though-12, interdisciplinary approach, and adding that he has seen its success in classes ranging from kindergarten to high school.
A new AI component also allows teachers to differentiate instruction. Lynch said the system can tailor writing prompts based on reading levels or even student interests. “It’s kind of amazing,” he said.
To strengthen school culture and consistency, Lynbrook is renewing a long-dormant state initiative, which Lynch described as a collaborative model involving teachers, parents, students and staff.
Perhaps the most dramatic growth area is Lynbrook’s business department. “So many kids asked for it that … we actually had to take on a new business teacher,” Lynch said.
In addition to its award-winning Virtual Enterprise program, the high school now offers Accounting 1 and 2, Business Law 1 and 2, and new business-related extracurriculars.
“It prepares students how to be in the world of business,” Lynch said. “It’s a real practical thing.”
To align with the state’s revised graduation framework, Lynbrook recently launched its Profile of the Owl, which enumerates the skills and competencies students should develop before graduation. It centers on creative and critical thinking, real-life skills, social-emotional growth and global citizenship.
Lynch said that new posters and an online platform would soon be accompanied by videos showing what each pillar looks like in the classroom. “We’re going to try to put real flesh on it so that it isn’t just theoretical,” he said.
Administrators in both districts added that their work was far from finished, and that involving parents and the community would be a continued priority.
