Randolph Academy Is No. 2 In State

By Leann Austin, laustin@post-journal.com

RANDOLPH - Among 15 Special Act Schools that participated in the pilot program, Randolph Academy ranked second in New York state.

"Randolph Academy's educational program compares favorably with peer institutions in the Special Acts Alternative Accountabilty System pilot project," said school psychologist Kimberly Kennedy, who presented test data recently released by the state Education Department.

Teachers at Randolph Academy were honored by the school's Board of Education on Wednesday for achieving excellent academic outcomes in the 2008-09 school year.

"These strong academic outcomes are the cornerstone of our strategic planning for the future. Increasingly, committees on special education from across New York state are choosing Randolph Academy as a school that is successful at helping students with disabilities graduate with Regent's diplomas," said Lori DeCarlo, academy superintendent.

Certificates of appreciation were presented to the teachers by Brad Sande, board president.

"The board of education celebrates the talent of our teachers. We've felt for a long time that our teachers are among the best statewide. It's nice to have the data to prove it," he said

The project measured student achievement during enrollment through the use of pre and post tests, and Randolph Academy ranked second statewide. The data showed the achievement exceeded the goals set by the state for three out of four categories. Math and reading skills were measured. Achievement fell short by only 1 percent in the single goal that was not met.

"We are really so very proud of our teachers and how effective they are in helping our students achieve academically," said Linda Riggs, board vice president.

"I'm really proud of everyone. It's great to have positive attention brought to our small town of Randolph," said Howard VanRensselaer, East Randolph mayor, who attended the celebration.

The Special Acts Alternative Accountability System was enacted by the state Education Department to grant schools servicing special populations the use of supplementary performance indicators to measure their success in educating their students. Randolph Academy was one of 15 institutions to begin the pilot program to use the 2008-09 school year to establish a base line in educational growth using the STAR Program to measure student growth.

Randolph Academy exceeded New York state's goal of 50 percent in three of the four measured categories. In reading, the academy missed the goal by 1 percent.

Martin Luther King Jr. high school was the only institution that met New York state's goals for all four measured categories in math and reading. Its mean score on all four measured categories was 59 percent.