District 30: The little engine that could

When state test results were released two weeks ago, there were a lot of disappointed school officials across New York state and Nassau County as well as in Valley Stream. But not in District 30.

With only about 1,500 students, District 30 has become the best-performing elementary school district in Valley Stream. It was also the only district in the village with better passing rates than the Nassau County average on every test.

It’s good to see such improvement in the District. Its students are high achievers despite the challenges of the past few years. There has been at least one new principal in the district every year for the last half-decade. Leadership at Clear Stream Avenue School has turned over four times since longtime principal Robert Cohen left in 2004. Shaw Avenue has had two new principals since 2008. And the Board of Education has had significant turnover as well. It finally goes into a new school year with the same group of trustees.

This past year, two board meetings were marred by public criticism of the superintendent and Board of Education for failing to grant tenure to the Shaw Avenue School principal. Some residents all but called for the head of Superintendent Dr. Elaine Kanas.

Two years ago, teachers and community members defended the search that led to the hiring of Clear Stream Avenue Principal John Singleton. Some board members had questioned the integrity of the process, saying they wanted to ensure that qualified minority candidates were being considered for the position. And three years ago there was public outcry when one of the board members proposed renaming Clear Stream Avenue after President Obama.

But the distractions didn’t get in the way of the district’s primary focus of making sure students are learning and meeting state standards. They certainly didn’t bother Kanas. Despite the criticism, she accepted a five-year contract extension in June, showing she is committed to seeing her vision through.

District officials, under Kanas’s leadership, have focused on the primary grades — kindergarten through second grade — to ensure that children are getting a solid foundation before reaching their testing years. Administrators decided that it is good to catch problems early so students won’t fall behind later in elementary school, when the rigors of state testing can make it harder for them to catch up with their classmates.

The district has implemented numerous early-literacy and intervention programs and adopted a new math program in the past three years. And there are plenty of programs in place for grades 3 and up as well, to support students who didn’t have the benefit of that strengthened primary education.

This year, an early-intervention reading program in District 30 was recognized by the American School Boards Journal with a Magna Award. The program was implemented a few years ago, when district officials became concerned that many third-grade students were not reading at their grade level. The program screens students for reading difficulties before they start kindergarten. And it has succeeded: Officials point to students’ 98 percent rate of improvement on literacy tests.

District reading teachers have been trained in Wilson Language and Level Literacy Intervention, programs that help struggling readers. Reading teachers previously supported students in grades 1 to 6, but now they work with kindergartners as well.

The Fundations program in grades K to 3 focuses on phonics skills. “Red Zone” meetings are held to discuss the progress of each child with his or her teacher, reading teacher and building principal. District and building administrators also meet once a month to review student progress. And students who receive reading intervention are monitored every six weeks to make sure the support programs are working for them.

The district also has a summer support program for students in all grades with reading difficulties. There were once 15 to 20 students in a class, but now there are no more than four per teacher.

District 30 is quickly and quietly becoming a leader in children’s education. We don’t think that should be kept quiet. Kanas, curriculum director Gerard Poole, principals, teachers and board members deserve kudos for the district’s impressive results on the 2011 New York state tests in English Language Arts and math, and the improvement being made from year to year.

Something is being done right in District 30. And even when all is not well, the district picks itself up, dusts itself off and moves on. The students are achieving, and that’s what’s most important. We believe that’s worth some recognition.