The Office of School Improvement within the Office of Accountability facilitates strategic planning and provides support for the implementation of federal, State, and City accountability requirements and mandated school and district improvement processes.
Programs and Services
nySTART
The New York State Testing and Accountability Reporting Tool, or nySTART, is a Web site that provides school leaders — school district superintendents, Senior Acheivement Facilitators (SAFs), network leaders, principals and authorized teachers — with reports on New York State standardized tests administered to K-12 students. nySTART is funded by the New York State Department of Education and is operated by the Grow Network/McGraw-Hill. The nySTART Web site includes detailed reports on test results for New York State (NYS) assessments, including the NYS Testing Program (NYSTP, the tests given to most students in grades 3-8), the NYS Alternative Assessment (NYSAA, the tests given to students with severe cognitive disabilities), the NYS English as a Second Language Achievement Test (NYSESLAT), and the NYS Regents Examinations. Click here for additional information on nySTART.
There is also a public Web site that parents and others can access. Due to the Family Privacy Act, individual student information can not be shared publicly. Every year, parents receive a copy of an individual student report for each of their children.
For assistance in clarifying the data posted in nySTART for your school, please contact our nySTART support hotline at (212) 374-5765 or via e-mail at nySTARTsupport@schools.nyc.gov.
Schools and Districts in Need of Improvement
Click here for additional information and a list of schools that have not made “adequate yearly progress” under the federal No Child Left Behind law.
Schools Under Registration Review (SURR)
New York State regulations require the commissioner to annually place under Registration Review those schools that are farthest from meeting State standards and most in need of improvement. Schools that are placed under Registration Review (SURR) are subject to State-mandated interventions and must meet State-designated improvement targets within three years. Click here for the current list of NYC SURR schools.
School and District Comprehensive Educational Plans
Schools are expected to take a “data-driven” approach to improving student performance, using multiple measures to identify strengths and weaknesses. These measures should include differentiated assessments of student achievement, including standardized assessments that can be disaggregated by student subgroups, and benchmark assessments indicating student progress toward meeting the standards. Additional quantitative and qualitative measures must be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the delivery of curriculum and instruction in core academic subjects and to assess the impact of other areas related to student achievement. These data can help schools revise their educational priorities. Once priorities are established, they become the core of the school’s Comprehensive Educational Plan, including specific annual goals; measurable objectives; and action plans that will translate into observable, effective strategies to improve student achievement. Click here for 2007-08 School Comprehensive Educational Plan (CEP) and District Comprehensive Educational Plan (DCEP) templates.
Title I Schoolwide Programs