A positive school climate promotes school safety, student self-esteem, emotional well-being, mental health, and lower incidences of substance abuse, student absenteeism, and suspensions. The New York State Education Department (NYSED) continues to promote initiatives to foster student engagement and thereby increase student achievement, safety, and wellness.
Our Social Emotional Learning materials support the state's ESSA plan priorities and promote a positive school climate. The resources outline benchmarks and frameworks for educators to implement Social Emotional Learning practices in their schools and classrooms.
Mental health education can assist young people and their families and result in positive decision-making and life-long success.
School Safety indicates the safety of the school’s environment based on reported incidents.
What percentage of students attended school on the days the school was open?
What percentage of students were suspended from school at least one full day during the school year?
What percentage of students were absent 10 percent or more of the days they were enrolled in school?
The Every Student Succeeds Act, or ESSA, the main federal law for K-12 public education, requires that states hold public schools accountable for how students achieve. New York State established a set of indicators to measure school and district performance.
The accountability system classifies schools into one of three categories: In Good Standing, a Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) school, or a Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI) school.
| School Designations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Good Standing District | Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) School | Target District |
| A district in Good Standing demonstrates success in all performance goals. | Schools that struggled to prepare all of their students with some or all indicators of success. | Districts that struggled to prepare some of their student subgroups on some or all indicators are identified as Target Districts. |
This classification system is all about achieving equity. By identifying schools that need the most attention, NYSED and school districts can focus resources on these schools. Visit our website to learn more about what happens if your child’s school is identified as a CSI or TSI school.
Read the Accountability Fact Sheet for Parents for more information. Find more information about ESSA Accountability Designations on our website.
How do students at your child’s school perform on New York State tests?
Students in New York State take standardized tests in English language arts and mathematics in grades 3-8, science in grades 4 and 8, and high school Regents exams in English, mathematics, science, and social studies. The tests are designed to measure how well students are mastering the learning standards that guide classroom instruction and help to ensure that students are on track to graduate from high school with the critical thinking, problem solving, and reasoning skills needed for success in college and the modern workplace.
Students are assigned a performance level based on how well they do on the tests, with 4 being the highest level a student can earn.
| New York State Assessments (Tests) Performance Levels | |
|---|---|
| Performance Level | Description |
| Level 4 | Advanced Proficient |
| Level 3 | Proficient |
| Level 2 | Partially Proficient |
| Level 1 | Not Proficient |
Students who achieve a performance level of 3 or 4 are considered to be proficient. The data below indicate the percentage of students that achieved a performance level of 3 or 4 on each test.
Additional information about tests is available on our State Assessment website, including fact sheets about the 3-8 tests for parents and stakeholders.
Learn about the equity and effectiveness of our federal, state, and local educational resources.
Fiscal transparency reports outline how much each school is spending per student and the source of the funds. These fiscal transparency reports were issued for the first time in 2020 for the 2018-19 school year, and annual releases will be available after April 1st in each subsequent year. At the district level, they will inform conversations within districts about whether equitable resources are being provided at the school level. At the state level, these reports will help inform future Board of Regents State Aid requests and other policymaking decisions.