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Written by: Sajiv Mehta and Elliot Zhang

Published: 27 September 2023

Created: 27 September 2023

Last Updated: 27 September 2023

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Fans at the homecoming football game between Scarsdale and Yonkers on Friday September 22 witnessed quite a disturbing sight when a Yonkers player went down with an injury and stayed down, apparently unconscious, for over half an hour. As the sky darkened and the floodlights turned on, it was not players on the field but an ambulance instead.

From the beginning of the game, it was clear that Scarsdale had the upper hand. They quickly capitalized on two turnovers with sharp scoring drives, highlighted by long touchdown runs by junior Ryan Gilligan. The Yonkers offense punted the ball away on over half of their first half possessions. Scarsdale’s turnovers consisted of a forced fumble and long touchdown return and an interception by senior captain Camden Matles. With only a few minutes left in the first half, the Raiders led 28-0. And then, in the midst of a drive where it seemed probable that Yonkers would finally get points on the board, a hard tackle by a Scarsdale player led to a Yonkers player on the ground.

As the minutes went on, it became increasingly clear that the injury was severe; the Scarsdale medical staff opted not to turn the unmoving player onto his back. The once rambunctious student section sat down and watched as the player was tended to and, eventually, an ambulance hurried onto the field. The player was collected, placed in the ambulance, and rushed away. In the end, the entire ordeal took almost an hour, leading to an early and abnormally long halftime.

After the players had warmed back up, many fans expected the scoreboard to turn back on to reflect the score before the injury. However, the neon numbers never flashed back on, showing the permanent effect the injury had on the game. It remained unclear whether the game had ended 28-0, or if the game had been cancelled after the injury and the play after was simply a scrimmage.

In the end, it was a dominant victory for Scarsdale’s team, but their performance was overshadowed by the gravity of such an injury. This experience served as a core reminder of the dangers of a game like football at the high school level, and fans of Scarsdale can only hope that such a situation does not arise again.

Reporting by Sajiv Mehta, Photos by Elliot Zhang

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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 20 September 2023

Created: 20 September 2023

Last Updated: 21 September 2023

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Good news for the newly renovated Greenacres Elementary School. Here's an announcement from Scarsdale School Superintendent Andrew Patrick sent on September 19, 2023.

Earlier this afternoon, Greenacres Elementary School was distinguished with the honor of being named a 2023 National Blue Ribbon School! I hope you will join me in congratulating the students, faculty, staff, and parents on this gratifying accomplishment. In a message to the building earlier today, I urged them to take a few moments to reflect on the individual and collective journeys they have taken as educators, and to consider how this accomplishment helps to reinforce the importance of the care and commitment they demonstrate for their students each and every day. After learning of their nomination last winter, they brought the same level of care and commitment to bear on the voluminous NBRS application. Importantly, they embraced the opportunity to reflect on their practices as a school, identify those that best help define the Greenacres learning community, and put their best foot forward for the broader education world to see. Way to go!

It has been my observation that our school culture can sometimes downplay or discourage these types of noteworthy recognitions. Perhaps this is simply part and parcel of a high achieving, high success environment, or perhaps we are fearful of being viewed as distinct or apart. Personally, I subscribe to the belief that the accomplishments of individuals, groups, and schools within our organization are to be celebrated, as they reflect positively on all of us. Our students embrace their unique elementary experiences and hold on to those identities in important ways even after forging new relationships and more complex identities as they move on to SMS then SHS. Likewise, our collaboration as professionals runs deep, with good ideas, innovative practices, and novel learning opportunities nourishing the broader landscape in which we practice. I am delighted to express joy in this accomplishment both because it is well deserved, and because it reflects positively on the entirety of our District!

In partnership,

Drew

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Written by: Wendy MacMillan

Published: 13 September 2023

Created: 13 September 2023

Last Updated: 13 September 2023

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The Board of Education began its first meeting of the school year on Monday 9/8 by extending gratitude to all of the staff who worked hard all summer long to prepare to welcome students back on their first day of school.Superintendent, Dr. Drew Patrick thanked custodial staff, HR personnel and teachers among many others for the work they did to prepare for the new school year and help to make the first day back “truly joyous.”

Dr. Patrick went on to acknowledge the lasting impact of September 11th and the importance of taking time to reflect on the range of emotions that can arise on this day each year. In addition to recognizing the observance of September 11th, Dr. Patrick extended well wishes to those observing Rosh Hashanah this weekend and Yom Kippur later in the month. He also noted that on Friday September 8th, Governor Kathy Hochul made the Asian Lunar New Year an official state holiday, a step that the Scarsdale district took last year.

During the Cabinet Updates, Jeannie Crowley, Director of Technology gave an overview of nVision -- a new Financial Management and Human Resources platform. Both she and Assistant Superintendent for Business, Andrew Lennon described the enormous effort that went into finding a new platform and their enthusiasm to start using it saying the platform offers, “good data and financial oversight.”

Also during Cabinet updates, Eric Rauschenbach, Assistant Superintendent for Special Education and Student Services, said the new mental health counselors are settling in at each of the elementary schools and will begin working with students imminently. BOE President Ron Schulhof wondered how the counselors will be working with students, “Will they be taking on cases or going into each class to work with every student?” Mr. Rauschenbach explained that each elementary school has different needs and therefore there will be different levels of intervention in each building.

Staffing and Enrollment Update

Meghan Troy, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources and Leadership Development, reported that the staffing and new hires for the 2023-2024 school year is commensurate with the number of students we have enrolled in our district. Ms. Troy noted that:

● Actual staffing is .8 below projected staffing
● No Elementary Class Sections broke - there are 105 class sections (inclusive of two 8:1:2 class sections) & 22 ICT sections = 127 class sections
● Used 2.2 contingency positions (out of 3 budgeted) ○ 1 SPED teacher at SMS ○ 1 SPED teacher at SHS ○ .2 Latin Teacher at SHS

The two special education (SPED) contingency positions are based on the District’s efforts to be as inclusive as possible and to keep students in their classes. Ms. Troy went on to explain that an additional Latin teacher was needed at the high school because there is a large uptick in the number of students interested in taking Latin, prompting SHS to offer more courses.

In relation to enrollment, Ms. Troy explained that this year’s student enrollment is inline with what was projected. She noted that:

● Elementary Enrollment 32 students higher than projected
   -Largest difference in projection at Greenacres Kindergarten (+14 students) added section
   -Large difference in projection at Edgewood Kindergarten (+11 students with many last minute registrations)
  - Lower projection in Quaker Ridge Kindergarten (-24 students)
● Middle School - 28 students lower than projected
● High School - 32 students lower than projected
● Total enrollment - 28 students lower than projected

Ms. Troy also illustrated that there is an upward trend in enrollment especially as compared to the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 school years when the District saw a slight dip in registrations.

Non-Resident Students

Later in the meeting the BOE reviewed the revised policy 5152 and engaged in a discussion of the payment of tuition by non-resident students experiencing exceptional circumstances. In the discussion Dr. Patrick explained that the revision of the policy reads as, “3. A student who becomes a non-resident after completion of the eleventh grade, upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, may be permitted to attend the High School during the senior year upon pre-payment of tuition. Tuition may be reduced or waived by the Superintendent upon a demonstration of extraordinary family hardship, including (but not limited to) the death of a parent or guardian.” Dr. Patrick also made clear that if a student was asked to pay a discounted tuition, they would pay in quarterly installments.

Literacy

Dr. Edgar McIntosh announced that Teachers College at Columbia University is parting ways with Literacy expert Lucy Calkins. In his update Dr. McIntosh explained,

“Teachers College announced that they are reimagining what was formerly called Teachers College Reading and Writing Project as Advancing Literacy. Lucy Calkins, the founding leader, has departed from TCRWP to establish a distinct literacy organization known as Mossflower.

Advancing Literacy is repositioning themselves as an academic research organization, more integrated into the wider university, and engaging multiple research perspectives.

We appreciate that Teachers College is incorporating expertise in reading drawing more inclusively from the fields of psychology, cognitive science, and linguistics.

For several years, Scarsdale has used effective reading resources, materials, and suggested sequences from the Reading and Writing Project, while also supplementing with tools and resources to attend to the needs of our readers - specifically in the area of phonemic awareness, phonics, and word study.

We look forward to and are prepared for this positive change, having shifted in recent years to take a more research and inquiry based approach to our work with the Teachers College consultants. Our teachers have been guiding the work and using the instructional support in creative and flexible ways to engage and inspire students.

Scarsdale has also developed the innovative Collegial Research Group structure, which expands our opportunity to engage with our consultants in ways that are creative, responsive, and Scarsdale-specific. This rigorous professional development has been led by District Elementary ELA Coordinators Dr. Sue Luft and Michelle O'Donnell in partnership with the Scarsdale Teachers Institute. This collegial research structure empowers teachers to make decisions driven by the progress and development of our Scarsdale students.

We are excited that the lens of research is expanding with this learning organization and look forward to our work in the year ahead. Families can look out for invitations to building level parent coffees, in which our administrators and curriculum coordinators will describe the updated resources and tools we use to support and inspire our young readers.”

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Written by: Wendy MacMillan

Published: 29 August 2023

Created: 29 August 2023

Last Updated: 29 August 2023

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Once again, Scarsdale High School proves to be on the forefront of innovative and holistic learning. Keeping with their commitment to develop graduates that are critical thinkers, skillful practitioners, lifelong learners, compassionate leaders, and non-sibi community members, this year SHS will implement a rolling gradebook pilot program. While the minor change in how grades are reported won’t affect a student’s GPA or academic standing, according to Principal Bonamo the rolling gradebook does aim to “minimize the impact of a single assessment score on a student’s overall grade and their self-perception of their performance in a given class.”

In his Welcome Letter, Bonamo also explained, “Over the past several years, the work of our Assessment Committee has focused on progressive grading practices, and we believe this cumulative grading policy will promote a growth mindset for our students. Unlike the former quarterly system, in a rolling gradebook percentages will no longer be assigned to each marking period, and students' grades will be reflective of what they have achieved through any given moment during the school year. Therefore, each report card grade will reflect student performance from the beginning of the year until the end of that quarter. This should have the effect of minimizing the impact of a single assessment score on a student's overall grade and their self-perception of their performance in a given class. The Assessment Committee will determine metrics of effectiveness to help us decide whether we will keep the rolling gradebook as a permanent academic policy. Students will learn specifics for each of their courses in the early days of the school year, and parents can expect to learn more about the pilot at our grade-level principal meetings in early October.”

We reached out to Principal Bonamo to learn more about the pilot program and he graciously answered the following questions:

What benefits does Scarsdale hope to see with the rolling gradebook pilot program?

We believe the shift to a rolling or cumulative grading system will have the following impacts:

-Promotes a growth mindset and helps students understand setbacks within the larger context of the course
-Grades will illustrate long-term progress throughout the year, not just short-term achievement in each quarter
-Provides a more accurate reflection of the student grade at any given point in time
-Reduces the clustering of tests or large projects at the end of each quarter
-Ensures that assessments are weighted properly in relation to each other and other coursework completed throughout the year.
-Allows teachers to plan units to end naturally and not get rushed due to quarter breaks.
-Encourages teachers to plan for the year as a whole instead of by quarter.

Is there research to support the efficacy of a rolling gradebook? Are there other schools who have employed this method that you know of?

The Assessment Committee has done a great deal of research about the rolling gradebook, and we have been guided in our work by Dr. Thomas Guskey, renowned author in the areas of assessment and grading. We completed a faculty-wide read of his book “On Your Mark” and were fortunate enough to have him visit with our Assessment Committee and High School Cabinet this past spring, and a number of our faculty meetings were devoted to the topic. We are aware of some independent schools who have made the switch to a rolling gradebook as part of their larger work on equitable assessment policies.

Can you provide a sample report card or an image to help parents/students more easily understand the new program?

One of the goals of the Assessment Committee this year is to further examine and update our grade reporting structures, which may include an updated report card. I have used this graphic in our discussions with our faculty on High School Compact to illustrate how a rolling gradebook works. The simplest way to think about a rolling gradebook is to view the entire length of the course as one long marking period, and the report card as a progress reporting tool which represents a student’s current performance to date, not only within a fixed time period.

Will this affect a student's GPA?

Two of our science teachers completed an Option A project to analyze the impact of the rolling gradebook on student grades, and found no statistically significant difference between grades calculated through a traditional marking period system and a rolling gradebook.

How will this affect seniors at SHS while applying to college?

It should not affect students in the college application process.

If SHS decides to not keep the program and reverts back to the old grading system, will it affect the grades/gpa of students who took part in the program?

Since we are not abandoning our letter grading system we do not foresee any impact on student transcripts if we were to shift back to the traditional quarterly grading system.

While the pilot program doesn't actually seem to be a huge change, it does seem to offer profoundly positive benefits for students?

We share your sentiment - the change should not have much of an impact on student grades, and we hope it will provide students with a more positive experience and perhaps reduce anxiety around grades. The rolling gradebook also aligns with our Profile of a Graduate, specifically the outcomes in the “Lifelong Learner” category.

The pilot program and the points above, were also highlighted by Dr. McIntosh, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, at the BOE meeting on Monday August 28th. At the meeting, BOE member Amber Yusef asked if the Assessment Committee has a rubric to measure the effects of the pilot program and if the BOE can be kept regularly informed and updated on the findings. Dr. McIntosh explained that the pilot program will be continually assessed and all information will be consistently discussed with the BOE.

Another BOE member, Bob Klein, asked if the district plans to extend the rolling gradebook program to the middle school. Former SMS principal and new Assistant Superintendent, Meghan Troy explained that while the program is first being piloted in the high school, there is a natural connection to the goals SMS has for its students. For instance, Troy explained that SMS encourages students to take more risks and a rolling gradebook would allow students to more readily do that without fearing the consequences of one bad grade.

In the Public Comment portion of the meeting, PTC President Leah Dembitzer asked if report cards at SHS will now include more descriptive terms each quarter like the report cards do in elementary school. She also wondered if there will be metrics in place to measure a student’s mental health and anxiety levels in response to the implementation of the pilot program. Dr. McIntosh wasn’t positive what those metrics are but assured those at the meeting that there will be measurements in place.

We also reached out to a few current SHS students to gauge their reactions to the new rolling gradebook program. One rising sophomore said, “I think it's good to just be able to focus on the final grade and not be distracted or preoccupied with having to keep quarterly grades up. I think it will make tests easier to study for because each one has less relevance to the final grade so there is less pressure.”

Another rising sophomore had this to say, “I think it’ll be helpful to not stress on doing badly in one quarter.” While a rising junior added, “I think it is interesting and different and could improve grading throughout the year…we’ll see.”