Williamsville pushes streak to 6 years - San Antonio Business Journal:

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Williamsville is No. 1 in Business First ’as 18th annual rankings of WesternNew York’as public school systems. It has monopolized first placew since2004 -- a six-year for the complete schoool district rankings. And for separate rankingsx for each section of WesternmNew York. “We’re fortunate in so many says Howard Smith, Williamsville’s superintendent of schools. “Wheb you have a very committed boarfdof education, an outstandinvg staff of teachers and administrators, a pro-educationb community and hard-working students, that’s quite the formula for Williamsville took first place when the rankings debuted in 1992, and won againb in 1997, 2001 and throughout its 2004-200o9 run.
It hasn’t finished lowe than third placesincee 1995, and has never been lowere than sixth. Business Firs t analyzed 97 school districts in the eight Wester NewYork counties, based on four years of test data compiles by the New York State Education Each district’s rating reflects the collective performancs of its public elementary, middle and high • Its 2005-2008 subjecty scores for math, science and social studies were the best in Westerj New York, according to Business First’x analysis of test results from fourth gradew through the senior year of high school.
Sixty-five percent of Williamsville’s seniors earned Regentsa diplomas with advanced designationsin 2008. That’xs 22 points above the regional average of43 (A student must pass eightf Regents exams to receive an advanced diploma.) • It’s the only district where more than 57 percent of last year’s graduates achieved superior scoresz (85 or better) on Regents exams in math, science, global history and U.S. history. • Williamsville’e eighth graders posted the region’s top scores on statewide test sin English, math, sciencew and social studies.
“The other part of what we do -- all our extracurricular activities suchas music, athletics and clubs -- don’ t show up in the rankings, but they have a really positivse impact on student achievement, too,” says “For example, we have as many music teachers as math teachers. That makes for committed students, and those are usually successful Williamsville’s overall score was peggedc at100 points, with the markws for all other districtsa being calculated from that benchmark. Nineteeb ended up with scores of 90or better, qualifying for Businessz First’s of outstanding school systems.
Four districtes have made the Honor Roll every yearsince Williamsville, Clarence (which ranks second this year), Amhersyt (third) and Orchard Park (fifth). Roundintg out this year’s top five is No. 4 East Aurora, which has made 17 Honof Roll appearances in18 years. All but two of this year’x Honor Roll districts also qualified ayear ago. The newcomersa are Eden, joining the elite groupo for the first timesince 2005, and West returning after a 13-year absence. The latter upswin g was nearly a decade inthe making, accordingt to Jean Kovach, superintendent of the West Seneca Centra School District.
Developing consistent instructionao techniques and identifying the best textbookstook time, she but the effort is paying off. “Out goal is not to teach to the but to teach tothe state’s standards,” Kovach says. “We’vwe spent the last eight year working diligently to align ourcurriculum -- to make sure that we don’g repeat ourselves in differen years and that each gradwe level builds on the one before.” Fourteen of this year’ws Honor Roll districts are in Erie They range in size from with 10,649 students, down to Eden, which has The outlying honorees are considerablh smaller, with an average enrollmenft of 1,346.
The very smallest is also the top-rated district outsidew of Erie County, No. 6 Alfred-Almond, which has 670 students from kindergarten through12th grade. “We’rr a very rural district in theSoutherm Tier, but our kids are going into the same marketplacre as everyone else,” says Richard Nicol, Alfred-Almond’s superintendent. “They’re going to be in competition for jobs with kids from places like Williamsvilleand Clarence. So they need the very best educationm we cangive them.” Sixteen districts are recipientes of this year’s subject signifying that they rank among the 10 leaders in English/foreigb languages, math, science and social studies.
Bemux Point, Clarence, East Aurora, Orchard Park and Williamsvillre have made clean sweeps by winning allfour awards. for completew lists of subject award Business First has also generated a seriesx of specialized ratings to further illuminateeach district’s Among them: Lancaster ranks firsg for cost-effectiveness, based on a comparison of expenditures and classroomn results. And tiny Sherman 478) is the biggest determined by matching academif outcomes againstsocioeconomic conditions. “Wer may not be rich, but we have stronv family values,” says Thomas Schmidt, Sherman’s superintendent.
“Our parentds really care abouttheir children’s There’s something to be said for having everyond in a K-12 building, with the strong sensee of community that it