Massena Central School superintendent says improving grad rate, attendance among strategic plan goals

Bob Beckstead, Watertown Daily Times, N.Y.
·2 min read

Jul. 4—MASSENA — The 2021-22 school year has just ended, but Massena Central School District officials are already focusing on next year and beyond.

Superintendent Patrick H. Brady presented board of education members with the latest information on the district's strategic plan, which covers 2022 to 2025.

Mr. Brady said the district's strategic planning team met May 10, and building-level committees met between May 10 and 12 to plan with a representative of the district's consultant, Prism Decision Systems LLC, Binghamton.

The superintendent said the district has a rolling three-year plan that focuses on several metrics. Those include graduation, student achievement on Regents exams and state assessments for grades three through eight, dropout rates and increasing the number of students who receive an advanced Regents diploma and the Seal of Biliteracy.

The Seal of Biliteracy is an award given by a school, school district, or state in recognition of students who have studied and attained proficiency in two or more languages by high school graduation.

"You can see in the plan there's a lot of metrics that we're trying to aspire to," Mr. Brady said.

He said focus areas include providing a safe, effective learning environment for students and staff and implementing the district-wide Comprehensive Improvement Plan to increase graduation rates, reduce dropout rates and improve student attendance.

The focus also includes providing resources to meet the mental health, trauma and social-emotional needs of students and staff; fostering a positive school environment that values diversity and awareness and celebrates success; and trying to use student data to evaluate and improve the district's Academic Intervention Services program.

"You can see a mixture of academic and social-emotional goals there. Those goals will be taken to the building levels and they'll be made into action plans to improve in those areas, and they're working on those," Mr. Brady said.

They will also be used when administrators hold a retreat this summer.

"We'll put these plans into goals and bring them back to the next board meeting in August for your review. That's a work in progress," he said.