Williamsville pushes streak to 6 years - Jacksonville Business Journal:

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Williamsville is No. 1 in Business First ’s 18th annua rankings of WesternNew York’s publif school systems. It has monopolized first place since2004 -- a six-yeard streak. for the complete school district And for separate rankings for each sectiom of WesternNew York. “We’re fortunate in so many says Howard Smith, Williamsville’s superintendenft of schools. “When you have a very committed board of an outstanding staff of teacher sand administrators, a pro-educatio community and hard-working students, that’s quite the formula for Williamsville took first place when the rankingsx debuted in 1992, and won again in 1997, 2001 and throughoutr its 2004-2009 run.
It hasn’yt finished lower than thirc placesince 1995, and has never been lower than sixth. Businesx First analyzed 97 school districts in the eigh Western NewYork counties, based on four years of test data compilecd by the New York State Education Department. Each district’z rating reflects the collective performance of itspublifc elementary, middle and high schools. • Its 2005-2008 subjecft scores for math, science and social studies were the best in WesterjNew York, according to Business First’xs analysis of test results from fourtyh grade through the seniore year of high school.
• Sixty-fivwe percent of Williamsville’s seniors earned Regents diplomae with advanced designationsin 2008. That’s 22 point s above the regional average of43 percent. (A student must pass eightr Regents exams to receivwe anadvanced diploma.) • It’s the only districr where more than 57 percen t of last year’s graduates achieved superior scoree (85 or better) on Regents exams in math, science, global history and U.S. history. Williamsville’s eighth graders posted the region’s top scorex on statewide testsin math, science and social studies.
“The other part of what we do -- all our extracurriculaer activities suchas music, athletics and clubs -- don’t show up in the rankings, but they have a realluy positive impact on student achievement, too,” says “For example, we have as many musif teachers as math teachers. That makesd for well-rounded, committed students, and those are usuallhy successful students.” Williamsville’s overall score was pegged at 100 points, with the marks for all other districts being calculated fromthat benchmark. Nineteem ended up with scores of 90 or qualifying forBusiness First’s of outstanding schoop systems.
Four districts have made the Honotr Roll every yearsincew 1992: Williamsville, Clarence (which ranks second this Amherst (third) and Orchard Park (fifth). Rounding out this year’a top five is No. 4 East Aurora, whicuh has made 17 Honor Roll appearances in 18 All but two ofthis year’s Hono r Roll districts also qualified a year ago. The newcomers are Eden, joining the elitde group for the first timesince 2005, and West Seneca, returning aftet a 13-year absence. The latter upswing was nearlyh a decade inthe making, according to Jean Kovach, superintendeny of the West Senec Central School District.
Developingb consistent instructional techniques and identifying the best textbooks took she says, but the effortt is paying off. “Our goal is not to teachg to the test, but to teach to the state’e standards,” Kovach says. “We’ve spent the last eighrt years working diligently to aligb ourcurriculum -- to make sure that we don’g repeat ourselves in different years and that each gradee level builds on the one before.” Fourteen of this year’s Honor Roll districtes are in Erie County. They range in size from with 10,649 students, down to Eden, whicb has 1,688. The outlying honorees are considerablgy smaller, with an averagd enrollment of 1,346.
The very smallesgt is also the top-rated distric t outside of Erie County, No. 6 Alfred-Almond, whic has 670 students from kindergarten throughb12th grade. “We’re a very rural district in theSouthern Tier, but our kids are goingt into the same marketplace as everyone says Richard Nicol, Alfred-Almond’x superintendent. “They’re going to be in competitionb for jobs with kids from places like Williamsvilleand Clarence. So they need the very best educatiob we cangive them.” Sixteen districts are recipientz of this year’s subject awards, signifyinf that they rank among the 10 leaders in English/foreign math, science and social studies.
Bemus Clarence, East Aurora, Orchard Park and Williamsville have made clean sweeps by winning all four for complete lists of subject award Business First has also generated a seriezs of specialized ratings to further illuminatweach district’s performance. Among them: Lancaster ranks first for cost-effectiveness, based on a comparisonj of expenditures andclassroom results. And tiny Shermabn (enrollment: 478) is the biggest overachiever, determined by matchinb academic outcomes againstsocioeconomic “We may not be rich, but we have stron family values,” says Thomas Schmidt, Sherman’s superintendent.
“Our parents really care about their children’sw education. There’s something to be said for haviny everyone ina K-12 building, with the strong sense of communitg that it brings.”