South Orangetown Central School District
160 Van Wyck Road • Blauvelt, NY  10913 • (845)680-1050 • Fax (845)680-1900
kmitchell@socsd.org

Table of Organization  

 


 

 

Letter from Dr. Mitchell
Revised School Calendar
posted 1/18/2013

Letter from Dr. Mitchell
School Security Update
posted 1/15/13

 

 

September 2012

Dear South Orangetown Families:

Welcome to the 2012-2013 school year!

On behalf of the Board of Education, I want to express best wishes for a successful and enjoyable learning experience for our students. During the summer district educators have been preparing for the upcoming year which will be marked by significant change as a result of several new education laws. Over the next few months via presentations, correspondence, and websites, teachers, principals, and central office leaders will provide details about that which is new at every level.

It is impossible to fully explain in this letter all of the changes. In general, school districts across the state are now required to modify current evaluation systems to ensure that teachers will be assessed according to student performance on state as well as locally-adopted tests. Last year we prepared mandated assessments for every discipline and grade. In September, we will administer “pre-tests” to all students to gather data for comparative and evaluative purposes at the close of the school year.

To ensure that our students will be prepared for new assessments developed by New York State, we have been aligning our lessons to a national curriculum referred to as the Common Core. District educators have been working for the past two years to make the adjustments within a short-time frame. This will change again in 2014 when New York joins a national testing consortium.

Another new law requires districts to have anti-bullying measures and training in place, along with related reporting systems. Because we have been addressing this area for the past few years, we have had to make few adjustments to comply with the new law and have provided updates on our website. Other mandated reforms will be reported over the next few weeks.

While it is important that families have information about these changes, I cannot open this year without expressing my concerns about the extent to which formal standardized student testing will be increased. I assure you that we are making every effort as a district to comply with the New York State Education Department’s reform agenda without compromising our values or the integrity of the quality instruction and development of learning experiences that transform lives, spark talent, reveal potential, and, most importantly, inspire. Meaningful learning goes well beyond test preparation.

I have assured faculty that we will address the new mandates, especially the expanded testing, as a framework within which we should be able to stay on target to address locally established goals. Our primary agenda to understand and address that which is best for our students remains unchanged.

Five years ago, we identified a set of priorities based on staff and community input that has served to guide us in our efforts towards continuous improvement. We remain on the path that we established back then and continue to review evidence that we are making progress.

As many of you know, South Orangetown identified these major goals:

  • Provide Students with Skills for the 21st Century

  • Address the Diverse Needs of Learners

  • Foster a Respectful Learning Environment

  • Enhance Student Literacy

Each of these goals is accompanied by district and building action plans that are posted on the SOCSD and building web pages. Updates regarding events and progress in meeting these goals have been and will continue to be posted to keep parents informed.

It is important that parents and other caretakers stay current with what is happening in our schools. When a community is supportive of education, and parents are involved in helping children develop the value of learning - informal as well as formal - children thrive and society benefits.

As we approach these changes, we want families to understand the benefits, challenges, and costs that accompany them. The complexity and questions surrounding the reforms need to be considered:

  • How can we provide a learning experience that builds human capacity versus one that simply measures it?

  • How do we ensure that teachers remain caretakers of both children and the content of their lessons rather than test technicians and data managers?

  • How do we ensure that we spend our precious resources on providing rich and varied learning experiences rather than building costly assessment systems?

  • Are we more likely to foster a lifelong passion for learning within a high-stakes testing culture or one that asks students to solve real-world problems, experience learning as play, and engage in creative and critical thinking in pursuit of an idea or interest?

I am not opposed to assessing learning. Students and teachers must be held accountable for their work; however, I am concerned about the extent to which it is being expanded and the impact that it may have on the nature of the learning experience. There are also questions about the cost-benefit of standardized testing and evidence that challenges its ability to transform classrooms into truly transformative learning environments, in spite of what a set of test scores might seem to reveal.

I believe there is much agreement in our community that over-testing and a narrow focus on test preparation will be harmful to not only students in South Orangetown but to any child in any school that is obsessed by data and the assessments that are used to collect them. In the last semester of 2011-2012, we sought parent feedback on our work as a school system. A summary of the results will be posted on the website and will provide us with a snapshot of the community’s perspective, as per the 466 respondents. While the input is valuable, we need to find ways to increase the engagement between the families of the 3400 students in South Orangetown and the schools.

I encourage parents to participate in their children’s learning or find ways to partner with the schools. The PTA is always looking for volunteers. Information about volunteer opportunities can be found on our website via the PTA link. However, most importantly we need parents to support their children’s learning by having them prepared for each and every school day.

We have many challenges ahead, but our schools are about the future of our children and the world in which they will be living and leading. Once again, I ask you to join us in a partnership to help them to succeed and wish great joy and health to all students and families as we begin this school year.

 

Sincerely,

Ken Mitchell, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
kmitchell@socsd.org

 

 

Tappan Zee High School    South Orangetown Middle School    Cottage Lane Elementary School

Tappan Zee Elementary School    William O. Schaefer Elementary School