The New York State Education Commissioner stopped at some schools in the Rochester area Wednesday including a Rochester elementary school, School no. 9, the Martin Luther King Jr. School.
MaryEllen Elia visited with teachers and students at that school on North Clinton Avenue which has been among those listed by the state as struggling academically.
Elia did say she was impressed by the quality of teaching and the students she met with.
“When you talk to the students individually you can tell that they are really focused on their schoolwork and the kinds of things that I think are happening in there are helping to develop the literacy skills that our 5th graders need.”
Elia says the state is trying to work with schools who are underperforming.
“If we see that in fact the schools are progressing, that the districts have done some things that really stand out as opportunities that they’ve taken to make change in what’s happening in the school; then we hope that in fact the districts can maintain those schools and work really diligently to support them,” Elia told reporters.
She was also asked by reporters about changes to state-mandated tests. Starting next month, students in grades 3 through 8 will have as much time as they need to complete those math and language arts tests.
“It’s really important for us to know whether a student has comprehension and speed-reading is not the critical thing here. So we’ve tried to take the stress off our students and teachers by saying that students in fact have opportunities to continue working.”
Elia also made a stop at Cosgrove Middle School in Spencerport.
