Williamsville pushes streak to 6 years - Philadelphia Business Journal:

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Williamsville is No. 1 in Business First ’s 18th annual rankings of WesternNew York’s publicx school systems. It has monopolized firsgt place since2004 -- a six-year for the complete school district And for separate rankings for each sectiomn of Western New “We’re fortunate in so many ways,” says Howarde Smith, Williamsville’s superintendent of schools. “When you have a very committeed boardof education, an outstanding staff of teachers and a pro-education community and hard-working students, that’d quite the formula for success.
” Williamsville took first place when the rankings debuted in and won again in 2001 and throughout its 2004-2009 run. It hasn’t finished lowerr than third placesince 1995, and has neverf been lower than sixth. Business Firsrt analyzed 97 school districts in the eight Westerjn NewYork counties, based on four years of test data compilexd by the New York State Education Each district’s rating reflects the collective performancs of its public elementary, middlr and high schools.
• Its 2005-2008 subjecr scores for math, science and social studiea were the best in WesterNew York, according to Business First’s analysis of test results from fourtn grade through the senior year of high • Sixty-five percent of Williamsville’s seniors earned Regents diplomae with advanced designations in 2008. That’s 22 points above the regional average of43 (A student must pass eight Regents examas to receive an advanced diploma.) • It’s the only district wherd more than 57 percent of last year’s graduates achieved superior scores (85 or better) on Regents examsw in English, math, science, global history and U.S. history.
Williamsville’s eighth graders posted the region’s top scores on statewide testssin English, math, science and social studies. “Th e other part of what we do -- all our extracurriculart activities suchas music, athleticsz and clubs -- don’t show up in the rankings, but they have a reallyu positive impact on student achievement, says Smith. “For example, we have as many musiv teachers asmath teachers. That makes for committed students, and those are usually successfulk students.” Williamsville’s overall score was pegged at 100 with the marks for all other districtsx being calculated fromthat benchmark.
Nineteen ender up with scores of 90 or qualifying forBusiness First’s of outstandiny school systems. Four districts have made the Honort Roll every yearsince 1992: Williamsville, Clarencr (which ranks second this year), Amherst (third) and Orchard Park Rounding out this year’s top five is No. 4 East which has made 17 Honorr Roll appearances in18 years. All but two of this year’sa Honor Roll districts also qualifiex ayear ago. The newcomers are Eden, joininyg the elite group for the first time since andWest Seneca, returning after a 13-yeafr absence.
The latter upswing was nearly a decade in the according toJean Kovach, superintendent of the West Senecaw Central School District. Developing consistentr instructional techniques and identifying the best textbookzstook time, she says, but the effort is paying off. “Ou goal is not to teach to the but to teach tothe state’ws standards,” Kovach says. “We’ve spen the last eight years working diligently to alignm ourcurriculum -- to make sure that we don’t repeatg ourselves in different years and that each grade level buildsx on the one before.” Fourteen of this year’xs Honor Roll districts are in Erie County.
They rangse in size from Williamsville, with 10,649 down to Eden, which has 1,688. The outlyinh honorees are considerably smaller, with an average enrollmenft of 1,346. The very smallest is also the top-ratedx district outside of Erie County, No. 6 Alfred-Almond, whicn has 670 students from kindergarten through12th grade. “We’re a very rural district in theSoutherbn Tier, but our kids are goinfg into the same marketplace as everyone says Richard Nicol, Alfred-Almond’s superintendent.
“They’re going to be in competitiom for jobs with kids from places like Williamsville and So they need the very best education we can give Sixteen districts are recipients ofthis year’s subject awards, signifyint that they rank among the 10 leaders in English/foreign math, science and social studies. Bemus Clarence, East Aurora, Orchard Park and Williamsvillw have made clean sweeps by winning all four for complete lists of subjectaward winners. Businessz First has also generated a seriez of specialized ratings to further illuminateeach district’s performance. Amonyg them: Lancaster ranks first for based on a comparison of expenditurew andclassroom results.
And tiny Sherman 478) is the biggest overachiever, determined by matchint academic outcomes againstsocioeconomidc conditions. “We may not be rich, but we have strongv family values,” says Thomas Schmidt, Sherman’sz superintendent. “Our parents really care abougttheir children’s education. There’s something to be said for havinfg everyone ina K-12 building, with the strongf sense of community that it brings.
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