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HASTINGS-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. The Hastings Board of Education agreed Monday night to form a committee to address a group of students deemed to be underperforming by a 2010-2011 state test of grades three through eight.
Overall, the Hastings school district performed well and scored higher than the rest of New York, a trend continued in the 2011-2012 test data, but a small group of students labeled economically disadvantaged did not. The groups performance in the English Language Arts and math tests caused the state to qualify the district as a focus district, which requires the district to develop an improvement plan to address the needs of the underperforming subgroup, board members said at the meeting.
High school graduation rates also affect the status of districts, and with a 100 percent graduation rate, Hastings would be placed in the top-performing category, but since the number of graduating students falls below the acceptable threshold, the rate was not factored into the rating, board members said.
The committee will be made up of parents and community members and will determine the goals and objectives necessary to improve scores for this subgroup, members said. According to the most recent data, 2011-2012, the subgroup is no longer below acceptable levels, members said, and if the group performs well in the 2012-2013 test, the district can petition to be taken off the focus district list.
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