Lewiston-Porter Board of Education: Principals report positive results

By Allison Deutschman

With Friday marking the halfway point of the 2015-16 school year, Lewiston-Porter Central Schools began assessing students' academic progress.

At Tuesday's Lewiston-Porter Board of Education meeting, the principals from the Primary Education Center, Intermediate Education Center, middle school and high school further discussed the successes and challenges their young scholars have encountered since September.

PEC Principal Tamara Larson noted how the past three weeks have been dedicated to universal screening and benchmarking.

"We have some students at very high levels of literacy that we really need to look at for enrichment," she said. "We work so much with remediation, but I have been talking to some of my remedial reading specialists about this, too, so that we are working from all ends of the spectrum."

IEC Principal Julie Gajewski followed, also discussing data and assessments. Gajewski said she has been working with teachers in an attempt to exceed their fall standings at the IEC, were 70 percent of students reached benchmark, 20 percent needed further assistance and 10 percent even more assistance. Looking at the winter data, she said the IEC has improved to 80 percent, 15 percent and 5 percent, respectively, with students right on target with their goals.

Lewiston-Porter Middle School Principal Dean Ramirez said this coming week marks the 20-week assessments for middle school students. He visited Sweet Home senior High School and Niagara Falls High School along with Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Technology Andrew Krazmien on Jan. 21 to gain further information on expanding science, technology, engineering and math initiatives in the middle school.

In the grade seven accelerated math classes, Lewiston-Porter has introduced coding, looking for a more applicable way of using both math and computers in the classroom.

"We're sending some feelers out right now to see what other districts are doing and, so far, we have come back with some really good ideas ... whether it's science fairs or other instructional practices, experiments or even bringing in other people from local colleges and universities to really give our kids 'hands-on experience," Krazmien said.

High School Principal Andrew Auer said he was proud to announce 68 percent of the high school students (507 out of 742) earned merit roll or higher academic status during the first quarter. The second quarter results are not in yet, but Auer anticipates they will be equal to or higher than those of the first semester.

The next Lewiston-Porter Board of Education meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 23.