State: East Ramapo elementary, middle schools in good standing

The state had good news for the beleaguered East Ramapo school district, finding major improvement in student performance at almost all its schools.
           
All of the district’s elementary and middle schools are now in good standing, according to the state.

"We have 14 schools in the district, 12 of them are now in good standing,” says Dr. Deborah Wortham, superintendent of the East Ramapo Central School District.

The East Ramapo Central School District has had a troublesome past. Eight of its schools were identified as focus schools in 2016.

Wortham said they were in the bottom percentage of the schools in all of New York.

The superintendent says that in recent years, teachers have been working together and concentrating on Common Core standards.

The state Education Department also rolled out with a new set of indicators to measure school performance this year.

It’s now looking at other subjects like science and social studies, and also taking things like attendance rate into account.

The district says it has tremendously helped its rating because it believes in educating the whole child.

The state doesn't have the high schools listed in good standing, but officials hope to have them at that designation in a year.

The district says it no longer has state oversight with any of its schools.