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THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT / THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK / ALBANY, NY 12234

Office of Innovation and School Reform

New York State Education Department Seal
Office of Innovation and School Reform
Dr. Ray Giamartino, Jr., Assistant Commissioner
89 Washington Avenue, Room 366 EBA, Albany, NY 12234
(518) 473-8852
To: 
School District Superintendent Receivers
From: 
Dr. Ray Giamartino, Jr., Assistant Commissioner
Subject: 
2024-2025 Performance Management, Technical Assistance, and Reporting
Date: 
August 21, 2024

The New York State Education Department (“the Department”) is committed to ensuring equitable access to high quality programs and services for all students to support their academic growth and social-emotional development.

In supporting these Core Values, the Department’s Office of Innovation and School Reform (OISR) provides comprehensive performance management and targeted technical assistance and support to schools under Receivership through the use and application of a Tiered Framework of Support that consists of a minimum of two on-site Technical Assistance Support and Collaborative Review Sessions and a minimum of two Performance Review e-conferences to facilitate a collaborative review and monitoring of each school’s progress toward meeting Demonstrable Improvement Indicator (DII) targets.

Sessions provide the school and district opportunity to outline the core strategies used for performance gap closure, identify lead performance indicators and frame how the use of data to monitor and adjust processes and plan professional development that meets teacher needs is aligned to meeting DII targets. Participants should have explicit knowledge of and be able to speak to the school’s systems, processes, and key drivers for improvement and how building data is used to drive decisions that support measurable student growth to ensure the school will meet DII targets for the 2024-2025 school year that result in:

  • Improved student academic growth, achievement, and grade-level reading and math proficiency based on school-based formative assessments and NYS 3 – 8 data
    • Increased Graduation and reduced Dropout Rate(s), as applicable - Grade 9 student persistence to 4-, 5- and 6-year graduation
  • Increased average daily attendance and reduced chronic absenteeism
  • A safe, welcoming, and inclusive school climate conducive to learning
    • Reducing duplicated and unduplicated Out-of-School Suspensions and rates of recidivism
  • Assessing ELL and SWD disproportionality data
  • Identified areas of strength and challenges met during the improvement process
  • The top three School- and District-based Actionable Commitments in actualizing and ensuring sustainable supports to classrooms in meeting the above target areas.

On-site sessions provide support focused on increasing district-wide systems integration through coordinated processes. Core to individualized support for schools under Receivership includes sustainable improvement and turnaround strategies, team development, and access to, and the application of planning resources based on replicable research-based practices.

In addition, participants will be asked to identify specific areas of strength and challenges met during the improvement process. Sessions will also address the top three school- and district- based actionable commitments in actualizing and ensuring sustainable supports to classrooms in meeting the above target areas across subgroups.

e-Conferences are virtual meetings held with Superintendent Receivers and their designated district- and building-level leadership teams. The Superintendent Receiver/Designee will identify key strategies utilized to drive improvement that results in DII target attainment.

Quarterly progress reports are utilized as a performance management tool that are designed to help the school community, the Department, Commissioner, and the Board of Regents determine the extent to which schools under Receivership are on track to achieve their Demonstrable Improvement Indicators (DIIs). The reports provide insights regarding how well schools and districts are utilizing real time school-level and trend data to monitor and adjust improvement plan processes and implementation.

Per Commissioner’s Regulations §100.19, Superintendent Receivers are required to submit quarterly reports. 2024-2025 Report timeframes and submission dates are identified below.

Quarterly Reporting* Quarter Start Date Quarter End & Submission Due Date
Quarter 1 Report July 23, 2024 October 30, 2024
Quarter 2/Mid-Year Report Oct. 31, 2024 January 31, 2025
Quarter 3 Report Feb. 1, 2025 April 30, 2025
Quarter 4 Report/Continuation Plan May 1, 2025 July 21, 2025

*Quarterly Reports are to be submitted via email to the School’s OISR Lead Associate, copying OISR@nysed.gov.

In accordance with Commissioner’s Regulations §100.19(c)(1)(iii), a school under Receivership is required to hold a public meeting or hearing within 30 calendar days of the first day of student attendance each school year to discuss the school’s performance. Public meetings or hearings must be offered in the dominant languages of the district, as applicable, and done so in the form of a documentable, advertised, in-person format where constituent/community engagement affords input and information exchange. Such does not preclude the district from also offering, but not holding in singular form, e-access to same such hearings that are simultaneous to the live, in-person/live hearing. If such a hybrid option is hosted by the school/district, similarly to those in physical attendance, equitable access to such information receipt and exchange must afford e- participants opportunity to share their voice in real-time.

Each school/district must maintain records of the above, including artifacts and evidence of public meetings and hearings, and make such available to OISR following the completion of each hearing. In addition, schools/districts must conspicuously post and provide timely notice of dates, times, locations, and e-links of such sessions to the school/district community in the dominant languages, copying the OISR at OISR@nysed.gov. Districts may utilize the Public Notification and Hearing Requirements Template to support record submission.

The Department is committed to assisting you in your efforts to improve student outcomes. If you have questions, please feel free to contact your district’s Lead OISR Liaison or send an email to OISR@nysed.gov. Thank you for your advocacy, partnership, and collegiality as we continue to work to improve educational outcomes and ensure equitable access to high quality programs and SEL-based services to all students.

c: Jason Harmon, Deputy Commissioner, NYSED P-12 Operations
   Amanda Lester, OISR Supervisor, NYSED
   OISR Lead Associate Team